Dramatical Murder Re:Route (FemAoba)
by AyumixRose
Summary: Ever wonder what it would be like if Virus and Trip had a Route? Well...this is my version if they did have one. Full Summary inside. Based off the game. Aoba is a girl in this story. I own nothing all rights belong to nitro chiral. Mainly doing this for my enjoyment. Updates will be a bit slow due to college work.
1. Summary

"What do you want with me? Who are you?"

.

"Tell me Aoba, do you really know those two like you think you do?"

.

"Welcome to Japan's greatest, highest class facility of love, dreams, and comfort, Platinum Jail!"

.

"Aoba-san you shouldn't worry too much. It's not your fault for what happen to your friend, Mizuki."

"Yeah, yeah. You were just confused when you were suddenly pulled into his mind."

"But..."

"It's only natural for humans to be confused, if they were suddenly thrown in a different world out of the blue. You had no idea what was happening, so of course you didn't know what to do in that situation, Aoba-san."

.

"Ohhh, your destination is Night Time Wonderland! This is an area where you can be set free by your darkest secrets. If you let your true self out you'll enjoy yourself even more! Please, do go inside! Have a nice trip!"

.

\- Destroy -

\- I will destroy them-

\- Because of them -

\- Because of them...that you -

.

"Yo, so you made it all the way here, Aoba-san."

"We'd expect nothing less."

"You two..."

.

"So you came, Aoba-chan."

"Toue!"

.

"Oh, what a surprise to see you two here."

"Virus, Trip...!?"

"Aoba-san, why don't you leave these two to us, while you go deal with Toue?"

.

"Thank you for coming Aoba."

"Nii-san!"

.

\- It's time for you to know the truth -

.

"Hey...why do you sound so sad and hurt?"

\- ... -

"Can we talk?"

Ever wonder what it would be like if Virus and Trip had a Route? Well...this is my version if they did have one.


	2. Chapter 1

"What is right, and what is wrong… That is decided by the human heart.

But then, what exactly is a heart?

What someone considers the light, may actually be dark to someone else.

To want only light without ever knowing the dark…

I can't do that."

* * *

… … … …

… … … …

 **You really came…**

… **I was waiting…always…**

 **Hurry to me…**

 **Destroy me. . .**

 **With your power. . .**

 **. . .**

 **. . .**

* * *

 _Ring_

 _Click_

"Hello, thank you for calling. This is Junk Shop Heibon."

" _Uh, umm… there's something I'd like to ask."_

"Yes?"

" _Do you have any custom parts for S II type Allmates in your shop?"_

I type in the keyboard to check to see if there is any. "Yes we do. We also have them in stock."

" _Ah, is that right. I see. Thank you very much."_

"Would you like to place an order?"

" _Ah, no. Um, well…"_

"Yes?"

" _Well , this may come off as very sudden, but…"_

"Yes?"

" _If you're okay with it, then… When your shop closes today, could I meet you?"_

"…What?"

" _Ah, no, umm, how should I say this, you see, your voice. It's like; you have a very nice voice. I was thinking…"_

A low sigh slip through my mouth, before I continue to speak "…No, no, not at all. I'm very grateful. Ah, by the way, sir, I just remembered one thing, would that be all right."

" _Ah, sure…"_

"In fact, to continue the talk about type custom parts a while ago, this time the new parts of the series will be arriving shortly."

" _Right…"_

"So, we are accepting reservation and specially introducing them only to the most loyal customers right now. Would you be interested? I think they will be popular products and will sell out immediately, but you will definitely be able to purchase them if you reserve now."

" _Yes, um, but…"_

"Of course, because this is a special opportunity limited to special customers only, if you would like to reserve. I could do it for you as a service."

" _S-Service?"_

"Yes… a service."

" _A-Ah, then by all means! I'll-I'll make a reservation!"_

"Certainly, thank you very much. Now then, could you please send me your personal data over here?" I typed in the keyboards.

There was a small sudden, signaling that he has send the data over to me.

"…Okay, thank you very much! We have received your reservation. Well then, please keep supporting our shop in the future too!"

" _Yes!"_

"Thanks!"

 _Beep_

"Haah…"

As soon as I hang up the phone, I let out a huge sigh. Although I do it knowingly, speaking to the customers with ulterior motives is really annoying. Well, if it goes well, I'm sure to sell something so it's fine.

 _-Your voice is so wonderful. I need to meet you no matter what._

Among the people who contract our shop by phone, there are an awful lot of guys who say that. They want to meet me when all they know is my voice…

It really is bothersome of guys asking me out all the time on the phone. At first I could handle them well, but like anyone else would, I became irritated when it kept happening. But it also became easier to entice customers to buy products. From then on, like that phone call just now, I could make even more sales.

Strangely enough though, it doesn't happen in the actual shop. Sometimes a customer actually comes to meet me after a telephone call, but I just play it off. They all end up leaving without noticing I was the owner of that voice. Since there's not much harm done, I just think "Well, whatever", and leave it be.

"Nnnn…Gah. The manger should be here soon." I stretch my arms out wide and place my eyes on the digital clock on the counter. This shop provides a variety of things ranging from small expendable supplies to specialized metal parts at a bargain price, Junk Shop Heibon. I was attracted by the subtleness of the store name and started working here: I wonder how long it's been… Anyway, it was a long time ago.

There was a sudden ringing on my coil.

"…Hm? A message, huh." I was spacing out and had my elbow on the counter when the Coil on my arm rang.

A Coil is something like a mobile phone, but it's much more convenient than just that. Phone calls, messages, payments, identifications, and of course watching TV can all be done with this one machine.

"Let's see…" I mutter to myself pressing the button to check the message. "Captive Princess?"

Is it a new kind of advertisement? The adult kind maybe. It'll probably continue like "Please help me. I'm troubled by my aching body", or something.

Delete…

"Geh!"

As I was handling my Coil, something slammed into my waist. I fall from the chair and something heavy lands on my back.

Three giggling voices.

The culprits had to be…

"Aoba's opeeeen!"

"Open like a book!"

"You're so uncool!"

"…Why… you… braaaaaaats!"

The evil brat siblings finally appeared.

The eldest son, Kio, the second son, Nao, and the eldest daughter, Mio. A group of annoying neighborhood kids who only come here to go on wild rampages.

"I've told you guys so many times, this isn't a playground! Can't you kids learn anything?" I snapped at them.

"Aaah! Aoba's looking at a pervy e-mail!" Nao piped up; leaning down, look at my messages.

"Eh!?" Kio exclaimed.

"No way!" Mio shouted.

Nao raises his voice after looking at my Coil over my shoulder, and the remaining two hear it and lean all over me.

I-I'm gonna suffocate…

"G-Get off me, stupid…"

"Pervy e-mail! Pervy e-mail! Aboa's a pervert! Pervert!" Nao sang out loud cheerfully.

"Grown-ups are dirty!" Mio said, clearly disgusted.

"Nu-uh! It's some message about buying bad stuff! 'Cuz this shop is sketchy!" Kio piped up.

"Sketchyyy! Sketchyyy!" Nao echoed the words.

"This shop really suck!" Mio agreed with them.

"Ugh… Guh." I can feel my body to begin to tremble in anger.

"All right! Let's arrest the pervy, dirty, and sketchy Aoba!"

"Let's do it!"

"Arreeeeest!"

That's it! I'm done playing around!

"Guh, ugh… Get off already, you braaaaaaaaaaaaats!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"

I jolt up, legs wobbling, trying to shake them off. They don't care if I say they're childish. There's no way those kids would give up just like that.

"Hey, hey, that thing on top of the shelf, what's it used for?" Nao pointed at the object on the shelf.

"It's probably a tool to beat someone up!" Kio suggested.

"Scaaary! Boys are savages!"

Their attention had already moved on to other things…

"You guys…Geh!" I was shocked when I looked at my Coil. At some point it had started to display a completion screen. Oh yeah, I had a feeling I heard a strange sound from it a while ago…

Maybe I accidently pushed a button when I was messing with the kids. I hope I didn't download some strange program…

"Aaah, come on, this is horrible…" As I stand there confused, the retro bell on the front door rings.

"Phew, today's delivery destination was somewhat far." The store manager, Haga-san, who had gone out for a delivery, was back. "I'm sorry for being late, Aoba-chan…" Haga-san's smiling face droops down when he sees the evil brats.

Considering the damage they caused to the shop, well, it's a natural reaction.

"…Oh, you kids, hello. You're here." He spoke slowly.

"Kio, take that dooown." Nao demanded.

"Wait a sec. Here we…Hiya!"

"Kio's shorter than I thought!" Mio says.

"What'd you say!?"

"H-Hey kids, it's dangerous to play inside the shop you might get hurt." Haga-san warns in confusion. But the evil brats aren't listening.

"Just an inch…! Eih!" Kio struggled on getting the object they set their eyes on.

"K-Kids…"

"Aaagh! You're so noisy!" Kio cried out.

"Shut up baldyy!" Nao scream.

Oh no…

"…Ah."

"Ah."

"Ah."…Oh boy, he said it.

The air around Haga-san freezes.

"…You children playing there. Excuse me for asking but…" Haga-san began to say slowly having a pissed-smile with flames practically burning around him. "What was the just now…? Come on; please try saying it one more time. The first syllable was…ba?"

"Ba…" Nao awkwardly says that word.

"Ba?" Haga-san echoed the word back.

"Ba… Ba… Ba-Bad, this is bad, my stomach hurts, so- I-I'm going hooome!" Nao suddenly screams.

"Yeah, let's go home!" Kio agreeing with him.

"Let's go!" the same for Mio.

The evil brats run out of the store at full speed.

"…Ba…? What was the continuation of ba… what happened to the ba…?"

"Ah, that's right boss! Yes, yes, listen to this!" I started talking in a hurry to the mumbling Haga-san "There've been more orders of the S series of A part again!"

"…Parts?"

"Yes! Wow, just like we expected! It's just like you said! It's a 50% increase in sales from last month!"

"Is that…so." He mumbled.

"Yes it is! It's increasing! The sales are doubling!"

"Sales…doubling!" He said "Well, well, that's good to hear. If they are selling so well, we should increase the stock a little."

After Haga-san listens to my good news, he finally returns to normal. What a relief…that was dangerous. Haga-san is so outrageous that once he snaps, he begins to act violently…when he returned to his usual state; he pushed up his glasses, raised his eyebrows, and laughed.

"Ah, really… they sure are some troubling children aren't they?" He sighed.

"Y-Yeah. Aren't they?" I agreed with him.

"If they weren't so mischievous, they'd be quiet cute…"

"That's for sure!" I'm still surprised no matter how many times I see him change to almost a different person. I think it's said that people like that are fast to flip the switch…

"Oh yeah. Aoba-chan." Haga-san suddenly calls out for me as he walks to the counter and picks up a paper bag by his feet. "I'm sorry, but could you deliver this baggage to the courier? You can wrap it up for today as you go." He said as he hand it over to me.

"Eh, is that okay?"

"Yes, in fact, a customer is suddenly coming here today, so I thought I'd close the shop early."

"In that case, I'll do it." I smiled.

I pick up my bag next to me and take the paper bag from Haga-san. As I check the slip, I notice the destination is a bit far. This is a package going to the courier.

"I'll be leaving then. And thanks for today." I said.

"Yes, good work. Be careful."

I bow at the widely smiling Haga-san and step outside. The time display on my Coil reads 3:00PM. Some people mingle in this area even though it's a back street. There were several routes I could use to get to the courier. I wondered which would be the fastest.

I take a soft lump of fur with both of my hands out of my bag on my shoulder. While holding the sleeping lump of fur, I start it up by pressing my hand against its forehead.

"Ren. Wake up."

When I call him, he opens his deep-black eyes with a click.

"…Aoba." Ren greets.

"I'd like to go to the courier; can you search for the quickest route?" I showed him the piece of paper.

"Understood." He said. Silently, Ren lightly touches his paws to my upper arm.

"Road 241 at east is blocked because of a police inspection. Buses are canceled for maintenance. It is quicker to make a detour by passing the north terminal." Ren informs me.

"I see thanks." When I pat his head, Ren barks once and wags his tail. "Okay. Let's get going." I put on the headphones hanging from my neck and pushed the play button.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The best way to travel around here is by foot. It's what everyone does. The transportation system in the Old Resident District is pretty bad. There's a big street running through the center of the city, and sometimes there may be a bus or a train, or even a taxi. But they also can be cancelled or delayed without notice, so they're not really reliable. The roads might be blocked at any time to, so nobody trusts public transportation.

Even now there are hardly any cars on the street. There's only one taxi waiting in vain and some junked cars parked by the roadside. The sidewalk is filled with people coming and going. The most reliable thing you could have are your own legs. The hopeless Old Resident District is divided into North, South, East and West. They're similar but have some differences.

For example, the East district, where both Heibon and my home are, is a residential area mixed with parts of downtown. The whole district is relatively safe and it's easy to get your hands on various things.

The North district is an off-limited area, and has become something like a ghost town. It's unsafe.

The West district is a residential area, but you can't really do any shopping there.

The South district is full of clothing shops, game arcades, and entertainment facilities, so a lot of young people go there. And if you go further than the North district, there's Platinum Jail, a place full of celebrities and corporate purveyors.

Platinum Jail is one of the five Japanese conglomerates. And when Toue Inc. bought this island, Midorijima, they transformed it to a members-only entertainment area. If the stories I've heard are true, everything there seems to be luxurious. Starting with the Oval Tower standing in the center of the city, there are huge casinos, movie theater, shopping malls, and hotels…Anyways, it's packed with all sorts of things.

Basically, you can't become a member unless you're invited, but the membership fee is about enough to buy this whole island… or so I've heard. Of course people here are in the Old Resident District can't get into Platinum Jail.

The Old Resident District is, so to speak, almost like a slum, so it's tentatively managed to the degree that barely anyone can live there. But that's it. The police who only act big are teamed up with yakuza and do whatever they want, so there's a big difference between here and Platinum Jail.

It's not like we can do anything about it. Even if we're unhappy, we can't do anything but endure and swallow it. Even so, it's often said that there's no place like home, so once you get used to it, living here is unexpectedly comfortable. We're not cornered so badly that we can't live, we have our nice days. I don't wish for much. I don't mind if it continues like this. The people in the Old Resident District live thinking like that.

"Aoba… Aoba." Ren pokes his head out of the bag and taps my arm with his paw.

"What's the matter?"

"You are thinking too much. My thought circuit is almost short-circuiting." Ren answered.

"Seriously? Just how poor of a thought circuit did I install you?" I scoffed while rolling my eyes.

"If the intensity of the thought circuit is temporarily set to 100 and compared to the average adult female, the intensity of Aoba's thought circuit would be…" He begins to explain but I cut him off from being lectured by him.

"Okay, okay. You don't have to tell. It's me who's going to short-circuit from that explanation."

"Is that so?"

I involuntarily smile at Ren's answer and stroke his head.

Ren is a dog type Allmate.

Allmates are artificial life forms with intelligence, generally used as support for network tools. They can search the internet and virtual space for information, and of course they can also be used to shop online. Depending on the model, it's also possible to use one as a helping hand around the house, and they play an active part as a partner in a net game called, Rhyme. There are many types of Allmates, among them are animal types which have many different forms; many people love them as pets. Ren and I have been together for quite a long time, too. I'm not exaggerating to say I would even call him my partner. Even as Allmates improve and new models come out, I wouldn't abandon Ren even if hell froze over.

"Aoba, if you want to take a shortcut, turn right at the next road."

"Ack, that was close. Almost missed it."

Following Ren's instruction, I enter into a narrow side street. Once I get through here, I'll be close to the courier. The thing that acts as divider to the four parts of the Old Resident District is a street called Aoyagi Street.

On Aoyagi Street, there are lots of stores where you can get common items cheaply. In contrast, there are many maniac hobby stores in the back streets. As I walk on the side street, a group leaning untidily against a dirty wall stands out.

Like guys taking turns biting a Silber drug sheet… That sort of atmosphere. What's wrong with punk kids these days? There was a time when I thought those kind of things were normal. I was the same. But hey, it's not like I'm old enough to speak like a grandma… I'm finish with that kind of thing. Totally. As I pass between the guys hanging out, the contents of their loud conversation reach my ears.

"…So yeah, seems like it really happened. Suddenly being hijacked in the head, like this?"

"What the hell's that? A forced Rhyme participation?"

"Yeah yeah. It's exactly that. A Rhyme game would suddenly start at some random roadside, and the opponent is crazy strong too."

"But wouldn't that mean Usui's not there? If so, is it even possible to do Rhyme?"

"Seems like it's possible. I don't really get it though."

"And if you're not even prepared or anything, isn't it impossible to fight? So you can't refuse?"

"Apparently it's a no question asked thing. Anyway, being forcibly pulled in and then beaten, it's like a Drive-By."

"That's pretty bad."

They seem to be talking about Rhyme.

Rhyme is an avatar-type online fighting game. When opponents connect their consciousness online with a device, they can experience a virtual battle that feels real. There's no notifications as to when and where it's happening at all. When "Usui", who performs the holding and judging of the game, appears then that place becomes the field. At first it was a free game made by an amateur; the rules were loose and apparently there was no Usui either. When it gained popularity fast, Toue Inc. affiliated companies finally became sponsors.

Then, there was the strengthening of the system with the adding of Usui and set official rules which is what Rhyme is today. Well, since I'm not doing Rhyme it doesn't concern me. I pass through the alley and walk onto Aoyagi Street again. I can see the courier's sign at the end of the wide road.

While walking toward it, I notice a thick crowd in the middle of the road it seemed to be a loud fight. Curious onlookers gathered around and made noise. I continue to walk, trying to avoid the whole mess. A stir in the crowd suddenly occurs, followed by a shrill scream.

"Hm?"

I look into the center between the curious onlookers, standing on my tiptoes. A big bulky man shamefully lies on the ground while another man stands next to him. The man standing was facing away from me. Even so, I immediately recognize him.

A bright red kimono and a big sword.

It can only be him.

"You're a big guy, but you weren't that much of a big deal. I can't believe you'd make a mess in front of such a fine lady."

"Kyaaa! Koujaku-saan!" a woman squealed out loud.

"So cool! Soooo dreamy!" another one squealed with her.

When Koujaku taps the sword to his shoulder, the heart eyed girls rush to him while stepping on the man laying on the ground. Sheesh….

"Umm… Um, I'm sorry really sorry…"

A woman who was standing at a distance approaches Koujaku and apologetically lowers her head in a bow.

"I was being selfish and I told him I wanted Koujaku-san to do my hair, and he…" she timidly say but was suddenly cut off by the other two women.

"So cheeky!"

"Yeah! Know when it's your turn!"

The embarrassed woman seems to be the lover of the man still laying on the street. Perhaps the two tried to enter Koujaku's shop…and started an uproar or something. Koujaku controls the surrounding women gently with hand gestures and smiles at the bowing woman.

"Young lady, if that's what you think, then I feel nothing less than honored and privileged to be a hairdresser. Then again, you are all my precious customers. It's really important to keep the line in order." Koujaku said.

"Yes…"

"Your boyfriend was a bit pushy, but he was thinking about what was best for you. Don't blame him too much, okay? Well please do come again someday. When you do, I'll welcome you."

"Okay!" The troubled woman's expression changes incredibly quickly. Her eyes sparkle and she blushes up to her cheeks.

Did this really happen…?

The other surrounding women apparently didn't like where this was going, so they start to push around the enchanted woman.

"Hey! How long are you going to stand there? Move over!" the woman shouted, shoving her around.

"Um, Koujaku-san! You broke a sweat, right? I just bought this handkerchief a while ago, but… if you'd like, please use it!" the woman said, coming up to Koujaku and presenting him the handkerchief.

"No, I can't do that. You bought it because you liked it, right? You should use it for yourself." He frowned, shaking his head.

"It's okay! If Koujaku-san would use this, I'm sure this handkerchief would like it too!" she pressed on.

"It to, huh… Since you said it like that, if I refused, I'd be out of line. Well, I'll thankfully use it then." Koujaku takes the woman's hand together with her handkerchief and draws them closer to himself, smiling. "Thanks."

"!" she gasped out loud.

There it is. His famous lady killer smile. At least, that's what I call it.

"Haaaaah….!" She sighed.

The handkerchief woman goes into a weakened state and attracts glares full of terrible jealousy. Every single woman seems to be poised for the kill.

"…Let's go already." I said annoyed. I've seen this act many times. Disgusted, I start to separate from the crowd.

"Aoba?" I heard him call for me.

…Crap.

I know that everybody's attention is now directed to me. Don't call out to me, not now… This is bad, let's pretend I didn't notice. I turn on my heels and quickly start to walk away.

"Hey, wait."

Koujaku, disregarding my attitude, runs after me and catches my arm. I could practically _feel_ the other women glares that are sent at me. Practically trying to burn a hole right through me.

Here we go again…

"Aoba. It really is you!" Koujaku smiles.

"…Yo." I bluntly responded.

"You've got some bad habits. If you're around, you should say something." He said.

"Well, yeah… I just happened to be passing by during work." I told him shrugging my shoulders.

"During work? A delivery?" Koujaku breathes out and smiles. The surrounding women's eyes become hearts again. That smiling is his habit from long ago, but there are plenty of women who still fall for it like this. It's like his sub-weapon. However… there are too many people so speaking is difficult… And the women's eyes are scary.

"But don't you have work too? Then again, there's all this commotion here."

"Yeah, just because this guy here tried to ignore the line. Nothing too hard to handle." Koujaku points at the man who is face down on the road.

"If you won't give it a rest, someone's going to stab you." I told him.

"Stabbed? By whom?" he asked.

"If you look around, you'll see…" Feeling jaded, I look at the women who were glaring back at me. It almost feels like they're saying, 'It doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man, if you get close to Koujaku, I'll never forgive you!' with nothing but their glares.

"Ah, well, it should be fine. Do I look like I'd be stabbed that easily?" Koujaku lifts the edges of his moth into a smile and laughs. This guy… but he certainly is skilled so I won't say anything. Koujaku has been aware of the merits of his looks for a long time now, and, not to put it bluntly, he's a casually confident man that's pretty good at fighting.

He works as a women's hairdresser at his own pace, and he seems to be quite famous for it. He works according to his own whims and sets up his signs when he wants to. There's no notice, and he doesn't take reservations. Despite that, people always line up immediately. Whenever Koujaku touches your hair it's supposed to send you to heaven.

…I can't even imagine how that works. Through my own eyes, this good guy act seems nothing but cheap.

"Anyway, keep the fooling around within bounds. How many women do you think are off crying in the shadows?" I asked.

"You keep saying that but I can't help it, it's shameful for a man to refuse a woman when she offers herself to him. Women are the treasures of this world." He said "Women are pretty and cute. So I want to be gentle to everyone."

"Koujaku-san, you're so cool!"

"I love you!"

"…Well, I guess its fine like that then anyway, I'm going." I said.

"Right." He said.

"Koujaku-san, hurry!"

"Hey there, it's my turn next."

"…" I sighed, shaking my head.

As soon as I was finished talking, the women went back to mobbing Koujaku standing in the middle, Koujaku looks at me as if he just remembered something.

"Ah, that's right. I'll come visit your place some time, so give my best regards to Tae-san." He called out.

"Yeah, yeah." I give a short answer and start walking again. Even so… That guy didn't seem tired at all. He does anything he likes because he says women are treasures, but for me it's just impossible. Isn't it said that people like him are a certain kind of character? While listening to the women's bubbling voices from behind, I walk to the courier. A specialized shipping office, "Delivery Works". I enter through the sign-bearing automatic doors and am greeted by the smiling face of Yoshie-San, who sits at the reception desk.

"Welcome. Oh, Aoba-chan. Hello!"

"Thanks, as usual."

I bow slightly and put the paper bag on the counter. A small dog with dangling, glossy fur sits proudly on the counter and closely watching my movements. It's the sign dog of this shop, Yoshie-san's Allmate, Clara.

"I'd like to send this please." I said.

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it." Yoshie-san replied. With experience hands, Yoshie-san checks the address and pushes a nearby button. A box next to the counter opens and she throws the paper bag inside. The courier is a shipping service that sends packages immediately to anywhere in the Old Resident District. Even though we're on a small island, no one could possibly walk the same distance within a day. That's why in this town, where automobiles and such are inconvenient, it's very useful.

…Now then. With this, my work today is finished.

"Well then, excuse me."

"Aoba-chan, are you going back to the shop after this?"

"No, I'm going home for today. The manager is closing the shop early, so he said I can go home once I'm done with this." I answered.

"Oh! Is that so! Isn't that nice? Doesn't the last episode of 'If it's Dan' Air today? You can watch it real-time!" She smiled.

"Dan…? What's that?" I asked, completely confused of what she's talking about.

"No way! Didn't I just tell you the other day!?" she exclaimed.

"Ah, did you… Uh… What was it again?" I stuttered.

"It's a drama, a dra-ma!" 'Goodbye with a Cheek Dance'! Today it's finally decided who will be the partner!" she said in a high-pitched voice, "I'm definitely thinking that Kaiser Matsuoka would be perfect! That fresh smile is absolutely beautiful, I just can't get enough!"

"Right…" I awkwardly responded.

Yoshie-san wraps her hair around her finger and looks absent-minded with eyes like a girl in love. Well…she isn't really a bad person.

"Well, I'll be taking my…" I began to speak but was cut-off by Yoshie-san.

"Speaking of which Aoba-chan, have you heard? You know, that story, I think you may not know!" Yoshie-san seems to be quite serious and draws her eyebrows together while beckoning.

…She's not a bad person…

I give up and bring my face closer to hers. There are no other people in the shop, but for some reason Yoshie-san starts to speak in a whispering voice.

"You know, Hyougadani in the North? That dangerous district." She whispered, "It was never a good place from the start, but recently I've heard dangerous rumors."

"Yeah?"

"There seems to be a team whose leader is a super diabolical condemned criminal!" She went on.

"Ah. Scratch, was it? Some dangerous gang seems to be around that area a low now." I bluntly responded.

"Yes, yes, the team seems to be completely made of prisoners." Yoshie-san piped up "If I remember right, even before that there were stories about people getting kidnapped, or building being destroyed, right? That's so scary! You can't even walk alone peacefully at night. And the police aren't reliable at all… Not to mention they don't know what to do for us. Really, it's hard world we live in."

It's true that the police of the Old Resident District hardly do their jobs. They don't care if crimes are committed. For example, when passing a policeman, if you get on his nerves even just a little bit, you'll be punched, or in the worst case, arrested. They're just like yakuza.

"Aw, yuck. I want to go home soon too. Hey, what do I do if I'm attacked on the way home!?" she whined.

"Eh?"

Yoshie-san sends me a meaningful look with sparkling eyes.

"…I-I think you'll be fine."

"What, what, whaaaat!? Aoba-chan, how mean! How can you just say I'll be fine!?"

"Ah, well I'm finished so… Good job today." I quickly answered.

"Wait."

When I try to hurry to the exit, I'm stopped by a different voice than Yoshie-san's.

"Huh?" I looked to see that it was Clara that stops me.

"I wonder how the blue one is doing?" Clara asked.

"Oh, Clara-chan. Did you miss Ren? That's right; Clara-chan is a very good friend of Ren-chan's!" Yoshie-san lifts Clara in her arms and looks at me with eyes full of expectation.

"Uh, unfortunately I left him at home…"

"He's in that bag of yours, isn't he? Were you going to leave without having him saying hello to me?" Clara demanded.

When she presses me like that, I know I can't escape anymore. I'm sorry Ren…but endure it for a little while. I take out Ren, who's in sleep mode, from the bag and tap his head lightly to start him.

"…Aoba. What's the matter?" Ren asked.

"Ren. Um, could you say hi to Clara-chan?" I'm really, really sorry Ren.

"….." Ren's tail and ears droop. In front of him is the cocky Clara-chan being held by Yoshie-san. "…" he groaned.

"What is it? Is he still asleep?" Clara asked.

"…How are you, Clara?" Ren greeted.

"I'm fine, Ren." Clara wags her tail joyfully. Yoshie-san also lowers the corners of her eyes and smiles.

"Really, Clara-chan and Ren-chan are such good friends!" She said.

"Ah, ahahaha…" I laughed, decided to take my chance on leaving, "Since the greetings are over, this time I really…"

"Ah, wait! Wait a minute, Aoba-chan!" Yoshie-san called out for me, forcing me to stop at my track.

"…huh…" I lamely squeaked out.

"Just one thing! Wait just a minute! Sorry, I know you're leaving!" Yoshie-san said.

"…"

…..She _really_ isn't a bad person.

…Help.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When I was freed from Yoshie-san and went out, it was already night time.

"…Ren, good job back there."

"…If it can't be avoided, I'll do what I must."

Ren crouches down in the bag wearily. Clara seems to like Ren in such a manner that when our eyes meet, it looks like he's begging for help.

The personality of Allmates can be set to one's liking; it changes with each environment little by little. As a result, a difference comes out in the chemistry between Allmates just like with people. Ren seems to not like Clara. Unfortunately for Ren, I think it's a bit entertaining.

"Are you okay, too Aoba?" Ren asked me.

"…Somehow." I sigh. After Yoshie-san stopped me, I was treated to a cake that had a huge amount of whipped cream on it: she'd made it in a cooking class.

…More accurately. I was forced to eat it all. Thanks to that, I now have severe heartburn. "So, let's go home now…" I pat Ren's back to encourage my fellow soldier who has barely evaded death, and begin to walk towards home.

The town was now dressed in night and flashy neon lights lit up the shops everywhere. Because illegal construction isn't regulated, the sky in the old resident district is covered with the shadows of distorted buildings. That's why it's kind of dark even during the day.

When night falls, groups that almost seem like they were in hiding until then come out. Ribsteez groups gather too, so there's a completely different vibe from daytime.

Ribsters are people in Old Resident District teaming up and fight in turf wars by themselves. Because Ribsteez is older than Rhyme, the guys doing Rib look down on the ones doing mostly Rhyme. The Ribsters think of those who do Rhyme as 'big headed wise guy who live in their own fantasy worlds'. But since it seems like some Ribsters that are switching to Rhyme, lately there have been many quarrels between the two groups.

While I advance through the lively atmosphere, my hand is suddenly grabbed from behind.

"!" I let out a small gasp of shock when I looked to the person who grabbed my arm.

"Ooh, isn't this a Brain Nuts jacket?" The person who grabs my arm is a frivolous man whose hair is dyed red. Probably younger than me.

"Hey, wasn't this design on premier right now?" This time a green haired guy comes closer with a smile. Wow, their hair colors, is it Christmas?

"Oh no, I want this soooo bad! Hey, miss!" The red haired one looks at me with artificial smile.

"…They sell these at the shop in front of the station." I responded back in a bored manner. When I try to shake off his hand with great effort, the redhead looks at me angrily.

"Wait a sec, hey."

"What's with your attitude?" The green haired one spoke.

"I'm tellin' you I want this right here and now. You deaf?" The red haired one smirks while tighten his grip on my arm.

"And by the way, we're Bug Bomb. Ever heard of us? So, what's all this? You underestimating us?" The green haired guy holds out his wrist proudly. On it is a tattoo of a winking girl with enormous breasts leaning over a big pink bomb.

Whoa.

Aren't these guys ashamed of having someone carve that on them…?

And I haven't heard of Bug Bomb before. Even though this tattoo would also be a thing that people in teams do. I knew very well that these guys were underlings. Because they're only that, they like to pick up fights openly like this.

"Lame." I mutter beneath my breath.

"Aah? What'd you say just now?"

"I just called you lame." I told the red haired guy straight in the eyes.

"Huuuuh? You, what's your team?" The green haired guy asked.

"I'm not in one."

"Ha!? Don't tell me you're a no-mark?"

"Seriously!?" Red and Green look at each other and started to smile stupidly.

"You can't be serious!" The red haired guy started laughing stupidly.

There are tag arts used as team symbols in Rib, and the team's tag art is tattooed somewhere on your body when you join. Those who don't have a tattoo are assumed to not do Rib.

That's why it's common that no-marks become targets of diversion for Ribsters. There's no team that holds a grudge if you happen to kill a no-mark.

"Heeh, if you're a no-mark, means it's okay to do you in." The red haired guy smirk.

"Cause we can afford to. Hey girly, let's go over there for a little while, okay?"

"Better leave while you're ahead."

"Huh!?" Red and Green throw an exaggerated glare at the voice coming from behind them.

"If you get involved with her, she'll break both of your jaws."

"Haa? What? Who're you?" The Red haired guy demand.

"…Aah." As soon as the green haired one sees the owner of the voice, his facial expression stiffens. "Hey, this is bad…"

"What's bad?"

"That's… the leader of Dry Juice, Mizuki."

"What!? Dry Juice…!?"

"Do you know that girl's killer technique? Fox's heel drop. Eat it once and it'll break your jaw."

"Tch…! If you're from Dry Juice, you should've said so from the start!" The Red haired guy told me letting go of my arm.

"L-Let's scram!"

After saying worthless last words, the two of them ran off like puppies with their tails between their legs. Witnessing that, the guy behind me laughs. "That was pretty lame. If you're gonna run, don't start a fight at all." Already knowing his identity, I turn around.

"Yo." I greeted with a slight nod.

"Long time no see, Aoba." Mizuki greeted with a smile.

This radiantly smiling guy is Mizuki, leader of the largest Rib team, Dry Juice. Look a bit lower than his dark hair and below one of his green eyes you'll find a tear tattoo, his team's symbol, proudly displayed on his dark skin.

"What the heck was the fox's heel drop thing?" I asked with an annoyed face putting my hands on my hip.

"I was talking about your foot tricks. I came up with the name just now, but whatever. I wasn't wrong to say you've broken some jaws before though, right?"

Honestly…this guy…

"That was years ago." I told him with a sigh.

"I remember it clearly even now. But anyway, it's unusual for you to be here around this time."

"Yeah, true." I chuckled.

"Did you finally feel like joining me in Dry Juice?" He smiled widely as he spoke, but I just shrugged my shoulders lightly.

"Nooo waaay. I keep saying I don't want to, remember?"

"Try joining a team, all sorts of good things comes with it."

Mizuki and I hung around a long time ago; we were friends that did a lot of stupid things. He has a friendly personality, but in tight situations he's capable of exact and tight reasoning. Since all the guys participating in Rib like to act real tough, I think it's pretty awesome that he was able to put so many of them together to make the largest Rib team. But I still have no plans to join Dry Juice or become a Ribster.

"Anyway, I hate anything that would cause me trouble." I said.

"I know. But lately, the state of our team has been somewhat fragile." Mizuki told me.

I blink. "Fragile? Really? Isn't your team the best as always?"

"It's because of that. Because of Rhyme."

"Rhyme…"

Mizuki's facial expression clouds. "Our members are also sneaking to their side. It's fine to hear that Rhyme is a game where you battle with brains, but in the end it's just a delusional game, right? Honestly, I can't figure out what's so good about it. Are you delusionally protecting your turf or what?"

"Well, yeah, it's weird…" I nodded my head in agreement. It's not like I couldn't understand the feelings Mizuki harbored against Rhyme. The same could be said about Rib: that it's a children's foolish war game. But, despite that, Mizuki is thinking about his team seriously. He may not forgive the guys who easily jump at the trend.

"And then there are those mysterious disappearances."

"Mysterious disappearances?" I asked in confusion tilting my head to the side.

"You've heard about them, right? Stories about entire Rib teams going missing." He told me.

"Yeah, I have, but isn't that like an urban legend?" I said "Besides, it's a rumor from ten years ago."

"I don't know the reason, but recently there've been teams that I haven't been seeing for a while now."

"Are you sure they just didn't make a mistake and get in trouble with the yakuza?"

"More importantly, some members of the teams which disappeared have come back aimlessly after several days. But it seems they can't remember anything." He said "They've forgotten themselves… It's like their brains have been destroyed or something."

"But about those disappearances, wasn't the culprit that group Morphine? Morphine itself is like an urban legend." I pointed out.

"Well, I guess so…"

…Morphine.

Long ago, it was the strongest and most feared legendary team among Ribsters. Their tag art was full of black from top to bottom and had a heart and a cross. Their strength was wrapped in mystery.

Though there were various rumors, all contents were scattered and nothing made sense. Those disappearances were the same. Even if there are guys that saw Morphine, there are no specific stories or evidence at all.

"If it turns out that Morphine's not behind this, then I've been thinking that it's probably those Rhyme guys."

"Isn't that a bit far-fetched?"

"I'm not completely serious about it, it's just that recently the Rhyme guys have been getting carried away."

"But as for things like the disappearances, and even destroying people's minds, can they even do that? Wouldn't it have caused a huge commotion if they could?"

"No, I do know that. That's why I'm not too serious." Mizuki said with a small smile.

Suddenly, a cheer arises nearby. Surrounding people begin to run in that direction. Mizuki clicks his tongue and grimaces.

"…Rhyme, huh." He mutters "…Aaaah, I'm not feeling too well. I'll be leaving. See you, and make sure to show your face at the shop."

"Okay."

"See ya." Mizuki waves with his open hand and advances through the crowd, pushing away those who are gathering at the Rhyme site.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After Mizuki's figure disappears completely, I turn my face to the direction in which everybody was running to. I don't hate Rhyme like Mizuki does, but I'm not very interested in it either. If you meet Mizuki for the first time and talk about Rhyme with him, you'll probably hate it afterward.

"What's the matter?" Ren asks me.

"Nothing. Let's keep going." I pat Ren's head and begin to walk in the noisy alley.

Then…

Suddenly, I'm wrapped in white light.

"…?"

A mass of light appears in front of me when I stop to see what happened. It gradually takes a human form and extends its hand towards me. Its fingertips brush my cheek – and vanish.

"Eh…" While I wonder what happened, many people suddenly swarm around me. "E,…Eh? Whoa!" I'm mobbed by an excited group. I don't think I can slip out of here…!

"Usui. Usui!"

A large circle of light floats on the ground, and what appears inside is… A body of a woman with multiple arms sways slowly, and then stops. "Now, sorry to have kept you waiting, everyone! Rhyme's starting now! The first battle of today is between Rhyme names 'Player' and 'Route 44'!"

…This is Rhyme.

I've seen it several times at a distance, but this is the first time I've been up so close. What appears within the light is the symbol and referee of Rhyme, Usui.

Usui speaks in a deep voice, contradicting its appearance. While brightening the light and swaying two hands, a huge virtual monitor appears over its head. The audience can watch the state of the game from that monitor. The participants are already standing on both sides of Usui and adjust the settings on their Allmates.

"Can the newcomer successfully break a winning streak!? Or…!? Okay, 'Player' seems to have finished preparing! 'Route 44'… Are you almost ready too? Both seem to be finished! Well then, let's start already! GAME…START!"

Usui smiles and raises a hand with a graceful movement unfitting of its voice. The monitor emits a white light and projects the field. The audience cheers and hoots unanimously.

 _BA-DUMP_

"…Agh." Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through my head. "…" I hold my forehead and my gaze wanders.

What?

Is it because the audience is so loud?

"Aoba, are you all right?"

I hear Ren concern voice calling out to me.

"…Yeah, I'm fine. But let's go now." I told him once my head had stop pounding.

"That would be for the best."

Passing somewhat forcibly between the spectators who were absorbed in Rhyme, I slip out from the mountain of onlookers. I lean on a nearby wall, exhale, and look down.

"…?"

…Someone's here?

When I look up, I see a familiar duo.

"Good evening."

"Hey there."

"What's the matter? Are you not feeling well?"

"Being in that crowd make you sick?"

"You two…" I looked at Virus and Trip in shock before letting at a happy sigh "Yeah, that might be the case…" The one with the glasses is Virus, and the powerfully built one is Trip. I've known these two for a long time.

"Aoba, how are you feeling?" Ren asks me.

"So-so, but I'll be fine." I responded.

"What are you doing in a place like this? It's rare for you to be watching Rhyme." Virus asked me with curiosity in his voice.

"Well, there's no particular reason." I told him.

"Are you beginning to become interested in it?"

"Not really."

"Then did you just wander around and wind up here?" Trip asked.

"I did not. And the same goes for you two, what are you wandering around here for?" I asked them.

"We are here because of work." Virus said.

"It's because the Rhymers have been getting a little out of hand recently." Trip explained.

There are some so-called dangerous associations in the Old Resident District; these two are members of one. I got acquainted with them long in the past, back when I was in my teens and did stupid things. I spent all my time in the Western District Wanibashi and didn't go home, and for some reason I was always irritated. When I was living like that, I once made a mistake in a fight and encountered a person who wanted revenge, and I was sent to the hospital. It's embarrassing to even remember….

At the moment, only these guys and Granny know about those days. At one time, we lost contact with each other, but we began to talk again starting a few years ago. I had become a part-timer, and they had joined the yakuza. Saying that, here the police are like yakuza so I don't think much of it.

"Anyway, you two are looking as similar as always. Like twins."

"We are not twins" / "We're not twins." They both answered simultaneously, and all I could do was just stare at them with a force smile.

"Aoba-san, is your work going smoothly?" Virus asked me.

"Aaah, you worked at an ice cream shop? The one with the penguin aprons? Didn't you get fired after one day?" Trip said.

"Not one, three days." I corrected him "Now I'm a salesclerk at a junk shop."

"Aah, what was it? Byoudou?"

"'Heibon'." I corrected him again with annoyances leaking from my voice "I've worked there for quite a long time now."

"Working at a place with that name doesn't quite fit you, Aoba-san. Well, if you want to behave violently again, call us any time." Virus told me with a closed eye smile. "We are fairly prosperous, so I'd recommend it."

"Haha… I'll only accept your thoughts."

"I still often think that I'd like to see your fighting again, Aoba-san."

"That's right, because we're your fans."

"Oh my, 'Rout 44' takes 250 damage! Have we finally reached the climax!?" The excitement of the audience reaches its peak as Usui continues to broadcast the Rhyme.

…Then.

"HEY, you hooligans!" a voice enters, dividing the enthusiastic atmosphere. Accompanied by police officers is the megaphone-holding, evil eyed detective Akushima.

"Ah, that noisy man has finally arrived." Virus sighed.

"Don't go making a fuss here! ALL OF YOU FUCKERS ARE UNDER ARREEEEST!"

Usui disappears like smoke and the Rhyme is suspended. The participants and the spectators escape in all directions.

Akushima. He's a detective who abuses his authority and does whatever he wants to. The number of victims who have been arrested or received abuse by this guy on false charges are countless. Fitting to his haggard appearance, he's called the god of death of the Old Resident District.

"Better run away from here. You hurry too, Aoba-san." Virus said to me.

"Yeah."

"Bye bye, Aoba." Trip said, as the three of us went our separate ways.

"Wait you idiooots! DON'T RUN AWAAAY! We're gonna arrest EVERY LITTLE SHITHEAD HEEEEEEERE!"

I begin to run immediately so that I won't get caught by Akushima, who's just about to pop a blood vessel. I decide to continue to Aoyagi Street.

"!"

I looked over to my right to see a bright light heading my way "…Egh." I almost get hit by a motorbike when I turn at the corner while running.

I quickly roll onto the ground. "…" I blankly look up at the bike. The man doesn't get off of it. His eyes are focused on me.

When I see his eyes, for some reason, chills run through me. The man says nothing and speeds off on his bike again.

"! …Hey!" I stand up in a hurry, but it's already too late. The motorbike makes a roaring sound and speeds down the street in the twinkling of an eye.

"…" That bastard…! He almost caused a traffic accident, and he didn't even apologize for almost running someone over, either!

It wasn't an uncommon thing in this town, but I was still angry. I shudder when I think that I could have been run over by that man.

"Aoba, are you all right?" Ren asked me out of concern.

"Yeah, just barely. But that was close."

"It's a relief you're safe." I could hear the relief in his voice as he spoke.

"Yeah." I'm calmed by Ren's concerned words and my anger fades. Well, since I was safe, it should be fine… I change my mood and begin to walk home.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

When I enter the residential area and walk a bit further, I see my familiar house. "I'm ho…"

"Get a grip already! You stupid granddaughter!"

A thunder shakes my eardrums as soon as I open the door. My ears ring.

"So… loooud…"

"Of course! I'm yelling so you can hear me clearly!"

The real source of the thunder… Granny stands at the platform of the entrance, snorting and scowling at me. I've always wondered, where does she get that loud voice from? It's so mysterious, I can't help it.

"What now, why are you angry?" I asked. Really now… what did I do to deserve this?

"Of course I'm angry! It's the key, the key!" Granny yelled.

"Key?"

"When you go to work, take the entrance key and close the door by kicking! I've told you so many times!"

"Aah… I see. Sorry." I apologize scratching the back of my head with a nervous smile plaster on my face. When I woke up today I was almost late to my part-time job, so I panicked and flew out of the house.

"Don't 'sorry' me! Really, why did I raise a child with such a bad memory?" Granny sighs.

"Jeez, I couldn't help it. I forgot." I lamely explained.

"Of course you overslept and dashed out again. Really, even though you turned twenty-three you're still so helpless. It's so sad I could cry."

"But I said I'm sorry! Isn't there any human being around that hasn't been careless at some point?"

"What, are you aiming for the world championship of carelessness? How many times has this happened already?"

"…Six times." I mumbled with my head hung down and my shoulders slump.

"Honestly… A child like you…" Granny began trembling with anger. A blue vein is clearly visible on her forehead, this could be getting dangerous. Granny could faint if too much blood goes to her head, so this isn't a joke…

"I get it, I get it! I'll be more careful starting tomorrow, so don't shout anymore!" I quickly say hopping it could calm her down.

"…Hmph. How many times have I heard those words too? When you're like that, I can just fall and die." Granny lets out a rough snort and goes back towards the kitchen while making loud footsteps. "Hey, come in already."

…It seemed she's settled down for a while, anyway. Relieved, I take off my shoes and enter the hallway. Shouting happens every day like this, but our relationship isn't that bad. It's rather good, actually.

Granny's shouting is a proof that she's fine. If her shouting disappeared one day, I'd feel lonely. I feel thankful to Granny for raising me by herself, and I also respect her. It would be embarrassing to tell her, so I won't.

In the kitchen, Granny moves something that was just stir-fried in the frying pan to a plate. I wash my hands by the sink, pick out chopsticks from a shelf, and arrange them on the table. My parents were also living together with us, but they were free spirits by nature and were never in the house. When the year passed and I'd think they'll never return, they would suddenly come back, and disappear again…

That was the case ever since I was small, so living together with just Granny became everyday life for me. That's why I was unexpectedly calm even if my parents didn't come home. It's really thanks to Granny. Even though I've made her worry about me over many things, I want to cherish the time I'm living with Granny. Even without any special luxuries, living like this is enough.

"Well then, let's eat." Granny says.

Somen noodle, tuna, stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and boiled greens, deep fried fish and miso soup are lined up on the table. I took a seat with Granny and put both hands together.

"Thank you for the food."

"Thank you for the food." I said and began to dig in "Granny, this is delicious."

"Is that so?"

Being chased by the police made me hungry, so Granny's homemade cooking really hits the spot. While I scarf down my food, a sharp pain runs through my head.

Aaah, it came…

The usual pain…

"Ow, ow, ow…"

"The usual? Don't forget to take your medicine after the meal." Granny says when she saw my grabbing my head.

"Yeah."

A long time ago, when I did stupid stuff and got hospitalized, the headaches became very frequent. This was the second time today. I had many things inspected in the hospital, but they said the cause was unknown. Since then, I've taken a medicine Granny prescribed to me.

Granny has a medical license, and she examines old people from the neighborhood and prescribes medicine. Being safer than an unskilled doctor who takes only lots of money, she has a bit of a reputation in the neighborhood. Other medicines are useless, but when I take Granny's medicine, the headaches always stop quickly. That's a sure reason to be able to call her skilled.

"Thanks for the meal." When I finish eating, I take the medicine, and after I clear off the tableware I go up to the second floor. I enter my room and take Ren, who's in sleep mode, out of my bag and start him up.

My head still hurts…

I think about getting some fresh air and head out to the veranda. I step out on the veranda and lean on the handrail. The slightly cool wind feels comfortable. When I let out a small breath and look up to the sky, only the shadows of the folded buildings reflect in my field of view. The scenery wasn't like this in the past. It was more beautiful. This island…Midorijima floats in the remote sea southwest of the Japanese Island, Honshu. The selling points of the island are the blue sea, white sands, and rich green foliage…Or so they were.

Those are all stories from the past.

Now on the east side, Platinum Jail occupies approximately a one-third of the island in a lordly manner. Because Platinum Jail and the Old Resident District are cut off with a huge wall, we can't see inside it from this side.

I've seen the representative of Toue Inc., the company that built Platinum Jail, on TV and network several times. Apparently, when I was a kid, Toue Inc. required eviction of the inhabitants during the development of the island. However, they were promised luxurious houses and lots of money, so most of the inhabitants left the island depending on negotiations. But still there were some stubborn inhabitants who wouldn't go away.

We're like that, too.

No matter how good the conditions they were offered, they couldn't abandon their hometown where they were born and raised: they kept ignoring the eviction demand again and again. After a while, Toue's side said no more. They began to give up, and the reason was officially 'because they didn't want coercion.' But, in fact, they had abandoned the remaining inhabitants. If you don't want to accept negotiations, so be it. Live or die, it's up to you.

And then, Toue dealt his next hand. Saying that it was maintenance for the island, the supply lines of water service, gas and goods were narrowed rapidly and the surviving inhabitants were driven away to the present Old Resident District as a result. The once beautiful Midorijima was ruined… No matter how anyone describes it, a country cannot allow such tyranny. The inhabitants who believed in that appealed to the mainland them to do something.

But, since nothing has changed even now, it was useless to hope for better. About three years ago, when going from the Old Resident District to the mainland, you had to obtain the permission of the Administration Bureau, which belonged to Toue.

In other words, the inhabitants of the Old Resident District can't step out of the island without the permission of Toue. Such permission is never granted. Never. It's Toue's way of saying that the people who rejected the evictions were wrong.

As I was staring out into space, something makes a sound by my feet.

"Aoba. What will you do with the data that was downloaded earlier today?"

….?

"…Download?" I asked in confusion. Did I download something before? I was leaning on the handrail, but Ren's words startle me and make me stand up straight.

…That's right. I completely forgot. It was when the brats came into the shop today. Before I knew it, a download complete screen had popped up.

Was it…?


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

…That's right. I completely forgot. It was when the brats came into the shop today. Before I knew it, a download complete screen had popped up.

Was it…?

"Did the data contain a virus?"

"I didn't detect anything." Ren told me.

"Contents?"

"It's a type of game where a player performs movement and information gathering by manipulating a character, fights with an enemy character, acquires an experience value and raises a level."

"Ah, an RPG, huh? Do I have to pay?" I asked once I knew what I had accidently downloaded.

"You don't have to pay for it."

"Huh… so I didn't accidentally pay for it because of those brats. Is it some kind of trial application?"

"That is unknown."

"Well, if there's nothing weird I could try it. Just to kill some time." I let out a low chuckle.

"Shall I start it?" Ren questions.

"Please do."

"Understood."

I take Ren in my arms, return to the room and sit on my bed. The virtual monitor appears showing the game.

*Help me…

*Someone, please save me… …

*Someone,

free me

from here… …

"That's a really retro screen." Kio, Nao and Mio's generation have probably never seen anything like this. Even I haven't seen this type of an old game anywhere else but on video sites. After the message from the princess was over, a title logo appeared.

SILENT † OATH

*START

CONTINUE

-MESSAGE SPEED-

SLOW *NORMAL FAST

…It's so old, it's almost strangely refreshing. While the odd feeling rises inside of me, I push 'START'. The screen changed to an open field showing a knight in blue leaving a building and walking down to the forest, entering a cave. The knight walked through the maze coming to an exist and coming across a beach. The screen went black with big white bold words saying 'TO BE CONTINUED'.

"Huh? This'll continue? Are the parts delivered periodically?" I wonder.

"Looks like it." Ren said.

"I see. It's exactly the shortness of a game you can play when you have time to kill." I said closing the game. I don't know if it was entertaining or not, but if a sequel comes out, I might play it again. As soon as I close the game screen, I yawn.

I was so focused on the game I didn't realize how tired I was. "I think it's time to get ready for bed." I close the window and curtain to the veranda and leave my room to go to the washroom.

The next day.

I go to work at Heibon as always and look after the shop from behind the counter. Ow, ow, ow… I get my usual headache and massage the inner corners of my eyes with my index finger and thumb. My head felt heavy ever since this morning. Even after I took my medicine after breakfast…

Did I catch a cold?

"Aoba-chan, I'd like to ask you to do a little delivery." Rattling noises come from the back of the store as well as Haga-san's voice.

"Ah, I'll help, …!" My legs wobble when I try to stand up. I instantly push my hand onto the counter.

"Aoba-chan, are you all right?" Haga-san called out to me in worry.

"Sorry, I feel a little dizzy." I mumbled as I tried to regain my footing.

"Please sit down I can do it. …Huuun! Ha! Hiiya!" Haga-san picked up the heavy box and slammed it down on the self "Phew."

"…" I stared at him with wide-eye filled with awe.

"Hm? What's the matter, Aoba-chan?" Haga-san asked noticing my stare.

"Ah, no, I just thought that was pretty amazing."

"Oh, it wasn't anything like that. Hahaha."

"Cleaning, cleaning." Haga-san's Allmate Bonjin-kun comes up and whirls around him.

"Ah, Bonjin-kun. Please take care of the back." Haga-san told it.

"Back, back." Bonjin-kun returns to the back of the shop.

"Ah, yes. Could I ask you to deliver this item for me?" Haga-san takes a small paper bag out of his pocket. "The order came in the middle of the night from yesterday's visitor, it's specified as a special delivery."

When I see the slip of the paper bag, I notice that the address is in the East district like we are. It would be faster to deliver this directly.

"Since one of our contractors is coming soon, I cannot leave the shop. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'll leave right away." I said.

"Thank you very much." Haga-san smiles and walks towards the stairs to the basement.

My head still feels heavy.

…But it's my job. I'll have to try my best. I tap my forehead lightly, get myself together, and let out a short breath. I take my bag close to me with Ren in it and leave the shop with the paper bag.

"Hmm, was it faster to go this way?" I wonder out loud walking down the street.

"Yes." Ren confirm.

I walk through Aoyagi Street while having Ren navigate. In this quiet road between buildings, a familiar tag art is drawn here and there on the walls.

Beni-Shigure. Koujaku's team.

Rib teams claim their territory by drawing their tag art. This area was Koujaku's team's territory. The size of Koujaku's team is not very big. Rather, not very many are aware of Koujaku participating in Rib. He's popular among women, and therefore irritates many guys he fights very often. But he has never lost.

Before even he himself was aware, many male fans followed him because of his consecutive victories, and a team was formed just like that. Still, because he's taking care of them without being cruel, I think his character must also appeal to them. If you rely on him, you can't really complain. Lots of team members gather because they adore the leader, and they come to resemble the leader somehow.

Maybe because of them, here in Benishigure's territory there are lots of men wearing Japanese clothes without a hakama. If you just glance at them they may look evil, but they're all good guys. They help old ladies with heavy luggage, or look for a missing child's parents. That's why Beni-Shigure's popularity is pretty high in the Old Resident District.

That's also thanks to Koujaku…perhaps.

"Yo, Aoba."

"Hiya."

I exchange a greeting with a member I'm acquainted with. Some other members are talking happily with police officer. The Old Resident District's police aren't the most honest bunch of people, but depending on money or their mood they may mingle with the islanders. Some Ribsters use them to gain information or have things overlooked.

Well, whatever suits them.

As I continue walking down the street, I hear an awfully high-spirited voice come from in front of me. A group of three with one man and two women walk towards me, the women snuggling up to the man and pushing and shoving while walking.

"Oh, stop it, silly Koujaku-san!" The woman giggled.

"But I love that about you too!" The other woman squealed.

"Ahahahahaha!"

…I knew it.

Of course, the guy walking sandwiched between the two women is Koujaku. I didn't want to bump into him in this situation…I want to avoid them, but they keep coming closer and I have no choice.

"Oh, well if it isn't Aoba!" Koujaku said with a smile when he notices me walking down the street.

"…Hi there." I bluntly responded.

Koujaku's face draws into a cheerful smile.

"Aoba, Ren doing okay?" Flying next to Koujaku is his Allmate, Beni. Ren's face peeps out of the bag.

"I'm here." Ren says.

"Hoo. I see."

"Oh, Koujaku-san, is this your friend?" Woman number one says, while glances at me with judging eyes.

"Yeah, a childhood friend." Koujaku replies.

"Oh, is that so? This girl?" Woman number two speaks also giving me a judging look.

…Well then. I'm sorry that the amazing Koujaku's childhood friend doesn't measure up to the man himself.

Even though we call ourselves childhood friends, it's not like we were always together when we were small. Originally Koujaku was from the mainland, and came to this island with his mother. He was on the island for about three, four years, and then returned to the mainland with his mother again. During that time was a little vacant period, and about three years ago Koujaku suddenly came back alone.

I was surprised when he came back because he had become quite sturdy, but the faces and gestures he made when he laughed and the way he spoke hadn't changed at all. Then we started to hang out together again, and he often comes to visit my home to eat either mine or Granny's homemade cooking.

"What now, what's the matter with you?" Koujaku asked me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You don't look so hot." He said.

"! …It's nothing, really."

"Really? That's good then."

I act calm, but deep down I'm actually surprised. I definitely still have a small headache.

Do I really look that sick?

"Are you working now?" He asks.

"Yup. Unlike somebody else." When I say this sarcastically, the women standing on both sides react before Koujaku can.

"Well! It's not like Koujaku-san is playing around, you know!" Woman number one says with an attitude. Making my eyebrow to almost twitch.

"Yeah, even now he's only escorting us during his work." Woman number two nodded her head speaking in more of a calmer manner.

"…" Honestly…I just don't get what they see in him.

"Oh don't say that. Although, it's true that when I'm with such cute ladies, I can't get any work done." Oh, so I don't fall under the category of 'cute'?

"Kyah!" Woman number one blushes.

"Oh, Koujaku-san!"

Every single time, when he says things like that, wouldn't anyone else just be completely on edge…?

"It's shameful for a man to refuse a woman when she offers herself to him, right?" Beni says.

"Exactly." Koujaku nodded his head "Women are the treasures of the world. They're soft and tender, and will gently embrace a man. That's why cherishing women is a man's duty. Am I right?"

…No comment…

Koujaku puts his arms around the women's shoulders.

"Kyaaaaah!"

"I could die happily right now!"

…Kill me.

"…Well then, I'll be going." I heaved out a heavy sigh.

"Hm? Wait a minute. Hey!" As I stand completely disgusted and also completely ready to leave, woman number two calls out to me. "Here, I knew it. There's some dirt on you." The woman's skinny fingers reach out and lightly dust the collar of my jacket.

"…Ah, thanks." I thanked her.

"As expected. I love thoughtful women."

"Hee hee. …Oh?" The woman who is happy about being praised by Koujaku suddenly looks at me as if she realizes something.

"…?" I gave her a quizzical look.

"Now that I think about it, you have a beautiful shade of light blue hair at the ends."

"…!"

"Oh, that's true. I didn't notice." Woman number one says looking at my hair "It goes a lighter shade of blue compared to the rest."

"Hee hee, that's kinda pretty."

While laughing teasingly, one of the women reaches out her hand.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Stop it…!

"Kyah!"

"Ah…!"

…Oh no.

Now I've done it.

I swing at the woman's hand reflectively.

"Owwww…" The woman cried holding her hand.

"Hey, what are you doing!? That was rude!" The other woman yells at me in anger.

"…Sorry." I apologized already feeling sorry for what I did.

"You hurt my friend, do you think a 'sorry' going to fix it!?"

"Hey hey hey, wait a second. I'll apologize for her. I'm sorry? Like this." Koujaku enters between me and the women and tightly clenches the hand of the woman whom I swung at.

"But…!"

"Actually, this girl hasn't really hung out with other women that much. So when she's around pretty girls like you ladies, she doesn't know what to do, right?" Koujaku looks at me like he's demanding an agreement. His eyes tell me to play along. "Could you have mercy and forgive me?"

"Well, if that's the case…" The woman how I swung at mumbled.

"That's right…"

The women look at me with eyes full of pity.

…Why the hell would I need your pity? It was a little irritating, but frankly, it saved me. Or like… just now I was saved by Koujaku. Because he knows the thing I hate the most is having other people touching my hair. When Koujaku catches my gaze, he smiles.

"What, what's the matter? Admiring my manliness?"

"Shut up, you hippo." I glared at him.

"Hey! Why are you calling Koujaku-san a hippo!?" Woman number one snaps.

I convey thanks to Koujaku by flashing a smile as I criticize his joke. Koujaku returns only a silent wink, saying that he understands. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it actually gets to me a little…

"Well then, I'm going." I said with a nod.

"Right. Be careful."

I part with Koujaku while waving slightly, and begin to walk again. The delivery destination was close when I turned left at the road and headed straight. As I turn a corner, I see a man crouching down by the roadside. He whispers something, but I don't understand the contents well.

These days, you could see people doing this pretty often. Sitting down on the ground and looking at the sky, muttering to themselves against the wall like that. People like this have always existed, but it feels like more of them have been showing up lately.

Well, as long as you stay away from them.

I quickly pass by the whispering man.

In the alley of this neighborhood, the road was smaller than it used to be. No sunshine came through, so it was very humid. It also had many restaurants: fragrant smells and smoke drifted around constantly.

"I'm feeling kinda hungry now." I said to myself.

"If that feeling is neglected, a stomach ache by hyperacidity will occur in about one hour." Ren informed me.

"What for? Is there something wrong with my stomach?"

"Yesterday's meal influenced it. There is also a slight influence of sleep deprivation as well."

"Aah, Yoshie-san's…" If I remember correctly, it was after the time when I was on a delivery to the courier. That cake with a huge amount of whipped cream…

"…Hm?" I feel something strange and stop. It feels like someone was just staring at me… But I don't see anyone particularly suspicious.

…Must've been my imagination.

"! Aoba!"

"Eh?...nh!?"

Suddenly, I feel a sensation similar to losing my footing on a set of stairs. Everything that reflected in my eyes stopped moving and drifted to my step with a great speed just after that.

"Ow…" In the confusing situation, a sharp headache runs through my head and I scowl. "Wh…at…!?" My thoughts become muddy like turbid water, and my hands and feet turn numb. After feeling a strange sense that torments my whole body, a view opens out before my eyes. "…!? What is this place…?"

It's…

It's almost like I've been sucked into a game. The wire-frame floor emits light and continues on forever.

 _Rhyme Field Now Activated…_

"Rhyme… That kind of Rhyme!?" I said in shock after hearing a robotic voice echoing out. As I continue to look around, the space before me shines pale blue. The shape of a person begins to form, starting from their feet. The sight of the person that forms in front of me almost causes me to fall backwards. "Ren!?"

"Aoba, are you okay?"

"What, what just happened? And why do you look like that?"

"It seems that Allmates are reflected in their online mode here." Ren says.

"Isn't online mode used mainly in Rhyme? I've only seen you in that form on the setting screen." I said. "And the announcement earlier said something about Rhyme…"

"Looks like it. Only, our present location is the same as before coming here." Ren said "Aoba!"

"Gah!"

Ren pushes me away and I roll onto the floor while a fierce wind goes over my head.

"What was that…!?" I began to say in shock.

"Aoba, this is a public Rhyme field. It seems we were forcibly dragged into Rhyme." Ren informed me.

"What!? Is that even…"

"Aoba, something's coming."

I follow Ren's line of sight and what I see shocks me. A rabbit's head.

…A person waring a rabbit head stands there.

"Does this mean Rhyme started already…?" I question.

"… **T** h **i** **s** **t** **i** **m** **e** **… T** h **i** **s** **t** **i** **m** **e,** **it** **is** **su** **ch** **a** **n honor.** **So let's** **H** **A** **V** **E** **A** **FUN** **GAME** **SHALL WE?** **"**

"Aoba, it coming."

"Coming!?" I gasped "What should I…" Next thing I know there were tones of rabbits surrounding us, with red boxing gloves on their hands while one of them wore a black and green shirt with a head mic.

"DEATH set!" The green shirt rabbit said.

"Roger!" The rabbits all yelled out and charged at us.

"Eh!? Aaaah…!" I jumped to the side barely managing avoiding being hit. "That was dangerous! Hey, wait a minute!" I yelled at the rabbit head person "I want nothing to do with Rhyme! Cut it out!"

"Rhyme name, Sly Blue." The rabbit masked guy said.

"Wha?"

"Seragaki Aoba."

"Why do you know my name…? And what's this Sly thing?" I demanded.

"Fight."

"I've never done Rhyme before!"

"Fight."

"But I said I've never done this before…!" I yelled at him.

"…Fight."

The rabbits charged at us again, and again I barely manage to avoid them. "It's useless, he won't listen! Let's run!" I said taking off in a mad dash as Ren followed me "Ren, can't we do something!? Is there a way to get out of here or something?"

"I tried, but the logout function itself seems to have been disabled." Ren told me much to my horror.

"Seriously, what's up with this Rhyme!?" I said "Uah! Ouuch…!" I rubbed the area where I have gotten hit by those damn rabbits. Man they can pack a punch.

"Aoba, are you all right?"

"…It hurts pretty badly."

"Rhyme doesn't inflict damage on the real body. It is all an illusion in the brain. It is controlled so that it does not cause any further influence." Ren explained to me. "But in this field, the control of the damage level seems to be excluded for some reason."

"Meaning…?"

"When taking damage here, some influences may be exerted on the real body."

"Then isn't this the worst case scenario…!?" I yelled in shock and anger.

"You can't get away."

When I look up, a rabbit peeps at me from a block nearby.

"LOSS' set!" The green shirt rabbit said.

"Roger!"

Crap…!


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

I move my body immediately and jump in front of Ren.

"…Aoba!"

"Gh…Guah…" I groan out in pain.

"Are you all right, Aoba?" Ren asked in concern.

"I'm fine…ugh." I struggle to say before I felt massive pain shooting all around me head, almost making me see black. "…!? Ngh… Ugh, Ah…! My, head…Ngh,….Ugh!"

"Ren. 'JUBILATION', set."

"Aoba?"

"Do it already."

"…" Ren looked at me in confusion and a bit concern, but still did what he was order to. "…Understood."

* * *

"…" The rabbit mask guy looked over at the two in suspicious, looking at the data of our SHEILD, ATTACK, and DURABILITY.

"…Tch. You've gotta be kidding me. Her Allmate is an old model without armor. …Is she underestimating me?"

"She almost doesn't have anything; she's completely screwing with us!" His Allmate said in anger that they're being mock at.

"…Let's just finish this quickly." He looked back over to Aoba and his eyes widen a bit noticing the shadows of her bangs covering her eyes and the smirk plaster on her face as she had her right hang on her hip.

"…?" Looking over to her Allmate he saw sparks of electricity forming around his arm. "…What?" The Allmate arms turn into a cannon of some sort as it build up strong energy

"!"

And fired.

"P!"

"Confirmed enemy attack! 3 Losses! Durability decreased by 12!"

"…Damn that girl." He growled.

* * *

"…!" I blinked my eyes a couple of times regaining focus back to my site. "Just now… What did I…?" I looked over at Ren very confused as to what just happened, "Ren, what was that…?"

"You gave me instructions to attack." Ren told me.

"Attack? How could I do that? I don't know any attacks…" I said my eyes lowering to ground as I mutter the last part "But a little while ago… it felt like my mouth was moving on its own…"

"Aoba, he's coming again." Ren said. "Instructions."

I looked at him with wide eyes "Even if you ask, I…" A low sigh slipped out of my mouth "But if I don't, we'd be in trouble, right…? Just have to do it like earlier…" Pain shot through my head again as I grasped it with my hands clenching my eyes tightly "…Ren… Defense." I managed to get out.

"Understood."

"'DEMOLISH' set!"

"Roger!"

The rabbits came charging at us again and Ren could hardly keep up the defense. "…! Hrgh, this is bad!" I shouted as Ren shield struck down to zero.

"Main body of enemy's defense wall, 100% damage!"

"…I guess it was useless to expect more." The rabbit mask said to himself. "Let's go."

"Withdrawal! Withdrawal!" The head-mic rabbit began to say but paused when getting new info about the enemy "…No it's not! Wait! Main body of enemy's defense wall, recovering at amazing speed! 40, 50… 70, 90!"

"…What's going on?" The rabbit mask demanded seeing the orange bar being filled back up. "….!" He let out a gasp when he saw a smirk appearing on the girl's face "What happened…?"

"Alert! Alert! Danger! Danger!"

"!?"

"… _ **Destruction and death."**_

* * *

"…Ngh."

…Ugh.

My head hurts…

What…

What happened…?

"…Ah, ow ow…"

It seems… I'd somehow fallen on the ground. I endure the pain in my whole body, gather my strength in both arms, and prop myself up. I stagger and almost fall again, but I manage to somehow stay standing. "It hurts… but… how did it turn out…?" I press my forehead with one hand and try to arrange my confused memories.

It must have…

I was suddenly dragged into Rhyme during a delivery, and some weird rabbit head…

"…" I looked up seeing a familiar shop "…I'm in front of the shop?" I've seen it every day so I can't be wrong. I…am stand in front of Heibon. But why? I should have gone out for a delivery… When I look around, I see a lump of blue fur lying on the ground. "Ren!" I run up to him immediately and embrace him.

There's no reaction.

I push Ren's head lightly and try calling him.

"Ren, hey!"

"…Aoba."

After a short pause, Ren opens his eyes. I feel relieved from the bottom of my heart after seeing him safe. "Are you okay?"

"There are no large problems in particular" he told me.

"Really? You're not broken anywhere?"

"Some of the data is damaged."

"Isn't that enough of a problem?" I said raising my voice a bit in panic. Ren should also have received damage in Rhyme from that rabbit headed guy. "I'll examine you once we get home, okay?"

"To be on the safe side, please do." Ren nodded his head.

"Yeah. It even feels like some of the data in my brain's damaged…" I mumbled. "I remember fighting with that rabbit head, but how did it turn out?"

"My data from then on is also damaged."

"I see…Wait a minute, I'll try to remember." I endure the headache, close my eyes, and search my memory. But the more I try to remember, the more it feels like the memories go farther away. "…It's useless. I can't remember anything…"

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"Really? Why?"

"If the average woman's storage capacity is assumed to be one-hundred, Aoba's capacity would be…"

"Are we really having this conversation right now?" I laughed cutting Ren off "…Ah…."

"Aoba?"

"Hu… huh? I'm getting kinda dizzy…" My vision around me began to waver I look down at Ren and raised an eyebrow in confusion "…Ren, you…since when did you have eight legs…" I could have sworn he had four not eight.

"Aoba!"

What is this…?

Everything in front of me is spinning…

Where's the ground…?

What…

"Wait here."

Ren runs off somewhere. I watch him as he leaves. It looks like there are three of him, and I unconsciously laugh.

Haha, that's strange…

Ren has three heads…

…My consciousness broke off there.

* * *

After I passed out in front of the shop…Ren called Haga-san, and he let me rest in the shop for a while. Even though I lost the bag I was supposed to deliver, Haga-san said with his usual smile that I could go home for today. I decided to depend on Haga-san's kindness and obediently went home.

It seems like Granny isn't home yet, and the house is dark. I turn on the lights to the dark entrance hall, enter the corridor, and walk into the kitchen. I take a pill for my headache from the shelf and drink more water than usual. The pills should technically be taken after a meal, but my top priority is to calm down the headache.

It might be because I'm relieved to be home, but I suddenly feel so tired that it becomes difficult to walk. I want to fall asleep on the spot, but I make my way up to my room on the second floor first. I take Ren out of the bag and put him on the bed. I remove my jacket and lay down next to him.

Whew…

I lost the bag I was supposed to deliver, and after that I even left work early…Haga-san's smile and consideration were great, and a sense of guilt flocks to me just for remembering it.

"What am I doing…?" I mumbled.

This is all because of that weird rabbit head. And…Rhyme. Is it really worth hyping up and becoming addicted to it? I slowly sit up while remembering the game-like space I was sent to, and I only feel worse. I guess the medicine hasn't kicked in yet because the headache isn't going away, I'll try something else.

I take the headphones I threw together with my jacket and put them on. I select my favorite music from my Coil and close my eyes, leaving my body to the flowing music. Whenever I'm restless or feeling unwell for whatever reason, this method always helps me get relaxed again. I become immersed in the world of me and music.

"…Mn." The rhythm and tempo of the music, my own breathing and heartbeat. They tune together little by little, melting and eventually becoming one surging wave. "Ha,….." The whirlpool of melody wraps around my body and strokes it softly. The sound permeates my skin, mingles with my blood, and flows throughout me. "…Ah…" Lights of all colors dance in my head like a soft film. It feels pleasant and I slowly calm down. It was like telling myself that only I was allowed here, that this is a place only for me, and I felt peaceful. "Ahhh…" the discord of headache and the noise in my body becomes distant, and only the quiet sound of my own breathing leaves me. Like being pushed into a wave that spread to all parts of my body, a faint breath escaped from my lips time and again.

So comfortable…

I feel like I'm sinking more deeply than usual today. Pain and such had all gone off somewhere. If I fall asleep like this, all that's left is to wait for a calm waking to come.

If I fall asleep like this…

"…?"

A sound...?

I open my eyes slightly, but with my consciousness blurry, I can't tell what it is for sure.

…Well, whatever.

I give up on thinking straight and close my eyes again.

* * *

This place… I've seen it before.

I know it well.

I sit on a sandy beach and talk with a certain person. I treasure what he says as if the words themselves shine.

"…"

"…"

"…"

…What did he say again?

I can't remember.

What he said was important…

* * *

Ouch.

Something hurts.

It feels like something sharp is poking me…

"Wake up, sleepyhead! Hey, come on!"

"Tch, ouch…"

"I'm telling you to wake up! I'll hit you, moron!"

"…Mmh, that hurts!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

I jump up in defense of my persistent attacker, and the thing poking my face falls down. I reflexively grab it with both hands.

"Oh, Beni." I blink in realization when I found out who kept hitting me.

"Aagh, let go of me! How can you treat a guest this way!?" Beni flaps his wings in my hand and gives me a sharp glare.

"Does that mean Koujaku's here?"

"Isn't that obvious!? Let me go!"

I stand up from the bed with the shouting Beni in my hand. Huh? Where's Ren? I look for him and see him lying in the corner of the bed is sleep mode. Oh yeah, he said some data was damaged. I have to do some maintenance on him later.

But I want to eat something first. I feel a lot better because I slept for a while. The headache's gone now, too. There's some pain in my joints, but it's not so bad that I can't walk. When I step out of the room, a delicious smell drifts in from downstairs.

Granny's back.

She's started cooking a meal.

When I look at my Coil, I see that it's already time for dinner.

"Is it already this late?"

"You almost didn't wake up, and I got angry. Do you finally get it now?"

Ignoring Beni's complaints, I head down the stairs and look at the kitchen.

Koujaku sits at the dining table, and the room is filled with an appetizing smell. Granny is standing in the kitchen nearby. When Koujaku sees me, he grins.

"Yo, morning there." Koujaku greets.

"…Morning."

"Looking super cool as usual, I see."

"…No thanks to you." I mutter, as a yawn leaks out against my will. "Here." I shoot Beni, who I was still holding from earlier, at Koujaku. Koujaku catches him skillfully.

"I even went to the trouble of waking you up and you still treat me badly! Don't look down on me, Aoba!" Beni says.

"Direct your complaints at your master." I said "Doesn't he make you run his errands?"

"Can't help it. You're a real grump when you've just woken up." Koujaku said.

"That's not true." I denied.

"Aoba, if you're up, help a little! The meal's ready, so get chopsticks and tea!" Granny orders me.

"Okay, okay." Granny's yelling forces me to hurry to the shelf. Koujaku listens in and laughs cheerfully.

"No matter how many times I visit, you never change, Tae-san. I feel relieved just hearing your energetic voice."

"I dare you to be yelled at every day. It's pretty hard."

"Ahahahahahaha."

When I shrug my shoulders while putting the chopsticks on the table, Koujaku laughs even more happily. I pour tea into three teacups as Granny arranges the plates containing the freshly-made dishes on the table. All the preparations for dinner are complete, and I sit at the table with everyone.

"Thank you for the food."

Today's dinner is fish boiled with salt, stir fried konbu, and pork.

I try the pork and find myself instantly impressed. Delicious. A meal after you've slept away your exhaustion is delicious. Really delicious. As I realize this, Koujaku watches Granny with a smile while chewing.

"It's really good. It's no surprise though, seeing as Tae-san's cooking is absolutely the best."

"Hmph. How can you say that when you decided to come over out of the blue?" Granny huffed.

"Didn't I tell Aoba I was coming?"

The blame is suddenly directed towards me, and Koujaku stares at me. "Didn't you say you'd come 'in the near future'?" I retorted.

"And you kept sleeping like a log. You wouldn't get up no matter how many times you were called." Granny said.

"That was… well, I guess that's true…"I mumbled looking to the side.

"But I'm really thankful that you made a proper meal like this." Koujaku said.

"Don't misunderstand. There was some food that was going to expire soon, so this was a good chance to use them now."

"That's why I love you, Tae-san."

"Just shut up." Granny snorts roughly and stuffs her mouth with konbu. Koujaku watches her with a smile. For some reason, Granny seems to really like Koujaku. Koujaku came to this island with his mother but it was actually more common for him to be alone. That's why he often hangs out with me, and comes over to my house. Of course, he eats lots of Granny's homemade cooking, too. And there'll be times he ask for me to make a homemade meal. If I know Granny, she's definitely thinking that she has a second grandchild now.

"Are you staying for the night?" Granny asks this while raising her eyebrows. Koujaku stops his hand that was stuffing food into his mouth and nods without hesitation.

"That's what I had in mind." Koujaku tells her.

"Really, would it kill you to have some shame?"

"Well, it's the same as always. But I have work, so even if you're sleeping I'll slap you awake." I bluntly told him.

"But isn't it the opposite? I've always woken you up gently even though you won't almost wake up at all." Koujaku said with a small smile.

"Ain't that right?" Beni says.

"…You guys…"

After showing an irritatingly nice smile, Koujaku begins to eat his meal from the bowl again. Then we exchanged silly conversations between the three of us, and, through our lovely dinner, time passes.

"…Whew." I take a shower after the meal and cover my half-wet hair with the towel on my shoulders and proceed to the living room. I peep inside to see Granny watching TV while drinking tea.

Koujaku isn't there.

"Where's Koujaku?" I asked.

"He went upstairs. He's probably in your room." Granny responded not looking away from the TV.

"I see." I nodded my head. "….Ah, by the way, Granny."

"What?"

"Whenever I have a headache I take my medicine like normal, but lately it's not as effective as it used to be." I told her.

"…Hmmm." Granny, who was watching TV the whole time, turns towards me. Granny told me to report anything regarding the headaches no matter what it is. "It hasn't worked at all?"

"Umm, not like that, but feels like it's not as effective as before." I said.

"Is that so? Then let's try changing the formula a bit."

"I'm counting on you." When I bow deeply, Granny snorts and returns to the TV.

Well then…

Apparently Koujaku is in my room.

I leave the living room and go upstairs. Multiple places in my body throb in pain even when lifting only my foot. "Ow, ow…" Though there are no visible cuts or bruises the very core of my body possesses a dull ache. Is it because I took damage in Rhyme…? "Even though the fighting happened in my head, it still hurts pretty badly…" When I fought with weird rabbit head, Ren said that there was control over the damage level. Is that even possible? I endure the pain, make my way up the stairs, and go into my room.

…Huh?

Koujaku's not here. Neither is Ren.

I thought that was the case at first, but then I found the door leading to the veranda slightly open. When I look out at the veranda, I see Koujaku leaning on the handrail. He looks down at the nightlife with a calm expression. He holds a thin cigarette between his fingers while white smoke escapes from his slightly narrowed lips.

Koujaku would never smoke in my room… For some reason, he would only ever do it on the veranda. He doesn't smoke in front of girls, me being the exception, or during work, or even when he's at a bar, he only smokes here.

I don't know the reason, but maybe he feels like he can actually relax here. Koujaku would never show such a dim expression outside. He's always confidently smiling. That's how he presents himself. He seems like he's usually having fun with women, but I wonder if that itself is unexpectedly exhausting.

Koujaku's hand carries the cigarette to his lips. In the dark, his fingers look extremely long and beautiful. He does hair every day, so he should be skillful with his fingers. They look bony and masculine: it's strange that I find them beautiful.

Koujaku holds Ren, who had Beni on his head. Both of them seem to be in sleep mode.

I'm afraid that they'll fall of the handrail, but I trust Koujaku to hold on to them. I pick the ashtray in my room and open the door to the veranda.

"…Hm?" Koujaku's absent-minded eyes catch me and a loose smile appears on his mouth. "Yo. Finished with the bath?"

"I thought you were in the living room."

"Aah. Felt like having a little of this." Koujaku lightly raises the hand holding a cigarette.

"You really like it here, don't you?" I said with a smile and a small chuckle.

"Really? Maybe."

"Even though you can't see anything."

"I guess…but does it really matter if you can see anything or not?"

"? Does it? I don't really get you sometime." I said. Koujaku exhales and laughs unexpectedly. "Here." I hold out the ashtray and he puts the shortened cigarette into it. I lower it next to my feet and lean on the handrail next to him.

"Aaah." As soon as Koujaku sees me next to him, he frowns. "Aoba, not again…"

"Hm?" I looked at him in confusion.

What did I do this time?

"Your hair. I keep saying you have to dry it a little better." Koujaku reaches out towards me. Is he going to touch my hair…?

I flinch back reflectively.

But instead of catching my hair…He grabs my nose.

"Guah!"

"Really, with the line of work I'm in, I can't help but care about your hair."

"Stop it!" When I shake my head to escape, Koujaku smiles happily.

"Your hair's grown a lot. Are you still cutting it on your own every once in a while?"

"A little, yeah." I said looking at him still annoyed that he grabbed my nose. "I don't want to have to see a professional. Doing it myself is enough."

"Well, it's not that bad? Everything seems to be in the right place."

"Really? Kyaa, Koujaku-san complimented me, I'm so totally happy." I sarcastically said in a fan-girl tone.

"Why the sarcastic tone?" Koujaku deadpans.

"An imitation of your fans." I smirk at him.

"Oh, you." Koujaku chuckles.

I won't let anyone snip my hair for a reason. Ever since I was born, there's been a sense of feeling in my hair. That's why cutting my hair with scissors hurts, so I don't do it. Although below the shoulder, the feeling becomes blunt so I can snip there somehow.

Ever since I was a kid, I was teased by saying that my hair has a sense of feeling. Since I could also feel when it was being touched, they would pull on my hair as a joke… It was hell. They bullied me because they thought it was funny. But when they did, Koujaku always saved me.

"You have such a beautiful hair, so you have to take good care of it."

"…I've always thought so, but you say that so often and so easily. That hasn't changed about you from the old days at all."

"I only say it because I mean it. And you used to be so bashfully happy when I complimented you…" Koujaku makes an overly dramatic glance off into the distance, and I throw him another glare.

"That's when I was a kid. I don't remember." I wipe my wet hair and a blunt pain runs all the way down to my shoulders. "Ow…" This pain…Is it still from what happened in Rhyme?

"What's the matter?" Koujaku asks when he saw me twitch in pain.

"No, it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing. Come to think of it, you looked pretty tired a while ago, too."

"Ah…"

"What is it? No need to go putting up a front."

"It's not like that." I said looking off to the side. What should I do? Should I tell Koujaku about Rhyme? A little bit of hesitation pops up. In these kinds of situations, Koujaku has a strangely sharp sense of intuition.

He's already watching me with doubtful eyes.

Even if I try to lie now, he won't buy it…

"Well, about today. I had a strange experience." I try to explain to him "Well, how should I say this? Like I was pulled into Rhyme…"

"Pulled into Rhyme?"

"It happened suddenly. I was on a delivery, and before I knew it I was standing on a Rhyme field."

"You're not talking about a dream, right?" Koujaku asked.

"No."

"So in other words… Wait, is that even possible?"

"I didn't really get it either, but it was close to your territory. That narrow alley there." I said.

"I haven't heard anything like that before…" Koujaku says looking off to the side.

"There were some other strange things too. Usui wasn't there either."

"That's strange. It's responsible for holding Rhyme games, right? That strange device appears with it and all."

"Isn't it? And…" I tell Koujaku about the rabbit head… I also include the fact that he knew my name. After earnestly listening to my story, Koujaku groans.

"What he did to you, was it… Wasn't it like a Drive-By?"

"A Drive-By?" I blinked in confusion.

"I've only hear this from my team mates, and I don't know the details but… there seem to be guys who are able to set up a Rhyme game without Usui." Koujaku tells me "Because their Rhyme games don't have rules or limits, there seem to be cases where the pulled-in opponents are left half dead."

"Then, was my opponent one of those Drive-Byers too?" I said.

"There's the possibility. However…It makes me sick."

"What does?"

"I'm relieved that you managed to escape this time, but what happens if you get pulled in again? Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?" I could tell by the tone of Koujaku's voice that he is worried about me, but…

"But I haven't even done Rhyme so why… Why did he mistake me for someone else?"

"There's also the possibility that he didn't care who he challenged. Or it might've been someone who held a huge grudge against you."

"No way. I'm not you."

"How cruel. But he knew your name, right?"

"Well… that's right."

"…"

"Koujaku?"

Koujaku keeps silent with a troubled face. After a while, I hear a small sigh.

"…Sorry. I think I'll just go home for today. I remembered I had to do something."

"Oh? Okay, I see."

Koujaku pushes off from the handrail and stands in front me.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yeah."

"I'll believe you, then. If something happens, tell me right away."

"I know."

"Good." Koujaku smiles at our agreement and gently hands Ren over to me. He then picks up Beni, who is resting on Ren's head, and puts him in his pocket.

"See ya. Good night."

"Yeah."

Koujaku raises his hand in farewell and leaves the room.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

I shut the door leading to the veranda and return to the room, lower Ren to the bed and lay down next to him. "Rhyme…huh." Did I encounter a Drive-Byer after all?

When it happened, Ren appeared in his online mode form. He also fought according to my instructions. "…Something, set. …What was it?" During the Rhyme match, my mouth moved on its own like somebody had taken over my body.

What was that? But that feeling…I feel like I know it.

I don't know why I think so but, it's like… It resembled a feeling that I have when I invite customers to the store…That feeling when I know what to say to make the other do what I want.

" _Rhyme name Sly Blue."_

Have I actually done Rhyme before and just don't remember?

Let's do a little research. There are only two people that I know who hang around most of my time during my rougher years as a teen.

I sit up and press around my Coil going to my contacts.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

" _Aoba-san?"_

"Hey Virus."

" _Is something the matter? It's rather rare for you to call."_

"No, it's nothing. I was just wondering if you guys know if I had played Rhyme before."

" _Oh? You played Rhyme? Wouldn't you know that better than anyone else?"_

"I've told you before that my memories are kind of fuzzy, right?"

" _Oh, from that accident? No, I have no idea. Is something troubling you?"_

"No. Sorry for asking something so weird."

" _Not a problem. Let us know if we can ever help in any way."_

The call ended.

I lean back on my bed folding my arms behind my head "I haven't played Rhyme before, have I?"

 _Ring_

"Hm?"

…A message. I pushed the button on my Coil and went to my message board. "The latest Allmate models, huh?" It was a direct message. New Allmates appear one after another. I briefly look over the contents then close the Coil screen. I've always been so attached to things that I never want to give them up, but not everyone else is like that.

…That's right.

I have to check Ren's condition. I'm worried about the damage he took in Rhyme. I get up and reseat myself on the bed, put the blue lump on my knees, and start him up.

"Aoba."

"Good morning." I greeted.

"Good morning." Ren says back.

"I'll examine you a bit now."

Because Ren is an old model, restoration would be trouble if full-scale malfunction appeared. He has to be frequently maintained and checked. I hold a long cable starting from the desktop computer and push aside Ren's neck fur to connect the cable to the port. I startup a touch browser with the Coil and the interface that supervises Ren's engine is displayed.

"Hm… Maybe the reaction speed of the reflection's decreased bit." I said to myself looking through the data. I grab a tool box that I'd thrown on the floor, remove the lid, take out a 10cm square screwdriver, and push aside Ren's fur again.

Although Allmates can fundamentally be fixed through the touch browser's control panel, Ren is an old model, and I need to look inside of him too. I take a stock of new chips out of the tool box and use tweezers to replace Ren's old chip with a new one. "This should be enough." I close the lid and control panel, remove the cable and lift Ren into my arms. "How is it? Any place you're not feeling well?"

"…"

"Hm?"

"There is some sense of incongruity. However, it's within the allowable range." Ren says.

"I see." I nodded my head "Well, I only changed the chip. Tell me right away if any malfunction appears."

"Understood."

I stroke Ren's back as he answers me, and I place my forehead to his tiny one. I forget how long it's been since we started to do this, but I make sure to do this every time I do maintenance on Ren. It's like a charm. "Thank you, as always."

"The pleasure is mine." Ren said.

"I'll count on you in the future, too."

"The pleasure is mine."

"…You always answer like that." I said with a laughing tone.

"Is it strange?" Ren ask.

"No, not really. I just think it's a bit funny."

"…"

"? What is it?" I asked noticing his silence.

"I'm grateful to you five million times over, baby."

"…" I looked at him strangely "…What the heck?"

"I tried to change the wording a little, how was it?" Ren says.

"…Pft. Ahahahaha!"

"Aoba?"

"Hahaha, no, I'm sorry. You're better off being how you've always been." I laughed putting our foreheads together one more time and lower Ren to the bed. Ren is always the same. No matter what, he'll be by my side. After that, I place my tools in order and leisurely spend time talking with Ren about everything.

* * *

"Good morning." I greet to Haga-san.

"Good morning." He greeted back with his usual smile.

The next day, when I go to work at Heibon as usual, Haga-san is organizing the stock. I leave my bag behind the counter and put down Ren before going over to Haga-san immediately. I have to properly apologize for yesterday…

"Boss." I started to speak.

"Yes?" Haga-san stops at what he was doing and looks at me in confusion.

"I'm sorry about yesterday's delivery." I apologized.

"Eh? Aah, no no, don't worry about it anymore…" As he says that, his expression clouds. I'm surprised to see him do that. Maybe after I lost the package he was yelled at by the customer…? If so, then it's my fault.

"Um, I'm really sorry. I'd like to apologize to the customer too if possible…"

"Oh, yes. About that." Haga-san pushes up his glasses with a trouble face. "Since yesterday's delivery was done with pre-payment, I wanted to ask if he wanted a refund or a re-delivery, and tried to contact him in various ways. I even tried to contact the control cent, but it was completely useless."

"Useless?"

"Yes. I couldn't contact him at all. Since the sender and recipient were the same I tried checking the address, but a person with a completely different name lived there… And he said he didn't remember ordering any goods."

"In other words, was it a prank?"

"It is very likely. But I don't know why anyone would want to do such a thing."

Maybe…

Even if I suggest it's a prank, it was already paid, and it would only be a loss for the other party. Why would anyone do something like that? I tilt my head together with Haga-san.

"It's fine as is…but it still doesn't feel right."

"Yeah…" I mumbled. More importantly, I… was pulled into Rhyme during that delivery. Suspicion drifts through the air, and it suddenly becomes time to open shop.

"Oops, have to get to work." Haga-san hurries out of the shop. I feel somewhat unpleasant… and no matter how hard I think about it I don't understand it, so I'll have to give up for now.

"All right. I have some work to do too." I decide to change my mood and return to the counter.

The morning passes with no incidents in particular, and after finishing lunch break, the afternoon shift starts. Since Haga-san went out, I'm the only one in the shop.

"Yes….Yes. Well then, we look forward to hearing from you again." After finishing an incoming call from a customer, I take a breather. Since he reacted to my voice with the usual pattern, I was able to sell just as many things. It seemed like he was one of those who had called before, and he was reluctant to hang up the phone, so it was a little troublesome.

While I feel disgusted by the excited voice that still lingers in my ears, the doorbell rings. Oh, a customer? I take my elbow off the counter and straighten myself up.

"Hiya, Aoba."

"Aoba, we came to plaaaaaaay."

"Hmph."

"…It's you guys." I thought it was a customer, but the only ones that come in are the evil brat siblings. I let out an exaggerated sigh, rest my elbow on the counter again and give the kids a sharp glare. Whenever they come in, it always spells bad news. "You just came to do stupid stuff again. Go home already."

"Aoba, you're annoying." Kio says.

"Annnoyiiiiing." Nao says along.

"You just stay quiet now, all right?"

"…" Those brats…

The brats find Bonjin-kun and immediately start chasing him.

"Ah, there it is!" Mio points out.

"Wait up, wait uup!" Nao yells.

"Catch it!" The three brats ran towards Bonjin-kun.

"C-Cleaning!" The confused Bonjin-kun quickly moves to escape. Bonjin-kun is quite clever for an Allmate, so he can move unexpectedly fast and his evasion ability is also high. It's not so easy to catch him. But that' probably what keeps the brats chasing after him, anyway.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, don't run!" I yelled at the brats, but of course they ignore me.

"Ah, come on-!" Kio says in frustration.

"Wait!"

"Catch it already!" Mio says in a demanding tone.

"Come ooooooooooooooooooooooonn!"

"C-Cleaning! Cleaninining!"

Ah, the shelf is wobbling now…

That cardboard looks like it's about to fall…

"…" It should be fine to just stop this by force. …I thought I could, but I'm one step too late. "Aaahhh!"

"No waaaay! Something brooooke!" Mio yells.

"It broke!" Nao said.

"Don't you 'it broke!' me! You brats!"

"Waaah! Aoba got angry!" Kio said.

"Angryyy!"

"I hate quick-tempered women!" Mio says, as the three took off running around the shop as I went after them.

"Shut up! …You! Hey! You too!" I catch the trio by their necks, drag them to the door, and throw them out.

"Uwah!"

"Ouch!"

"How cruel! You're awful!"

"Shut up, shut uuup! When you make an adult angry, it can get scaaaary." I put my hands on my hips and make an 'intimidating teacher' pose while glaring at the brats. "Geez, you're always causing trouble. Try reflecting a little. And go home already."

"So annoying! Shut up, stupid!" Kio said.

"Stupid Aoba!" Nao agreed.

"You're so lame, you old hag!"

"…" I can feel my temper rising by every second, but I restrain myself from hitting them. "…You little…" But that's very hard to do when these three are involved "…Just listen to me alreadyyyyy!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!"

The instant I finally snap and yell at them, the brats make a break for it.

Ah, damn it.

Even I don't think I'm all that popular, but…If those kids just had the capacity for even a tiny bit of cute in them…And now I have to clean the mess they left…

Sheesh…

…Hm? What?

I thought I heard something just now…

 _CRASH_

"Whoooa!?"

S-Something just fell all of the sudden!


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

…What fell from the sky was apparently a person.

But…

A human… from the sky?

From the physique, it appears to be a man. I can't see his face because his head is facing the other way.

Is he…

He isn't dead, right…?

"U-uuun…"

"!"

The man moans and stands up.

He's alive… I'm relieved, but soon I find myself frozen in place again.

…He doesn't have a face? No, that's not it. He's wearing a gas mask.

"…Ah, that surprised me." The man scratches his hair and looks around frantically.

He seems to be fine, but…Isn't he injured or anything? And why is he wearing a mask? Falling down from above is really weird, and no matter how you look at him he seems obviously suspicious. As I stand petrified, the gas mask guy turns and faces towards me.

"…" I reflexively stop blinking and breathing.

Don't come over here…

Please ignore me and go somewhere else…

…But wishing that was futile, and the gas mask guy briskly approaches me.

"Master, I'm okay."

"…Huh?"

Master?

"I heard Master's voice, so I came."

…What's this guy talking about?

"Is something wrong?"

"No, um…I think you're mistaking me for someone else." I said.

"Mistaking you for someone else?"

"I'm not anyone's Master."

"No, Master is Master."

"No, you're wrong. I don't even know you." I said.

"That's not true. I'm Clear, the one who carried you here yesterday." He said.

Wait…what?

"You carried me yesterday?" Yesterday, now that you mention it… After being in Rhyme, I woke up lying here for some reason. "Wait… Were you the one who pulled me into Rhyme?" That rabbit head had his face covered, and I felt like his clothes were similar too.

"No, that was not me. But I thought that Master was Master and I carried you here." He said.

….

…His story doesn't quite make sense.

"I heard Master's voice yesterday." Clear continue to speak "Destruction and death."

"…What?" I've heard that somewhere… "Why do you know those words…Guh!?" Suddenly the gas mask guy takes hold of both of my cheeks and pulls them right and left. "Ow ow! Thah hurs!"

"Master seems different from yesterday. It's hard to explain what, but if I had to say something, I remember your face and voice being scruffier." While pinching my cheeks, the gas mask guy keeps turning my head.

Who is this guy!?

"Ih hurss! Leggo!"

"Okay."

The gas mask guy quickly releases his hands.

Damn, that hurt…What's up with this guy!? He pinched my cheeks without holding back, and now it stings. While I rub my cheeks with watery eyes, the gas mask guy tilts his head.

"I'll ask again, but you really are Master, right?"

"I already told you, I'm not!"

"I don't think that's the case."

"…" I stand silently irritated and take a deep breath in order to calm myself.

Calm down… If you let him get to you, it's just what he wants. If this guy really is the rabbit head from yesterday, I have to catch him and question him.

He seems like an idiot now, but if he gets angry won't his true nature come out?

I can't do it in Rhyme, but if this becomes a fight in the real world, I'll manage somehow. I'll just try irritating him a little…

"…Hey!" As soon as I finish my yell, I throw a kick at the man's behind.

"Ahhh!" The gas mask guy leans back and holds his buttocks with both hands. "Please, Master… Stop it!"

"…Wha?"

The gas mask guy sinks to the floor.

"Please stop, Master… I can't… break any more than this."

"…"

…Yeah.

This guy isn't him.

Definitely not him.

I'll just quickly finish up here and return to work. "Anyway I'm not your Master. I have work to do so I'm going back. Bye."

"What should I do?"

"Go home!"

"Understood" The gas mask guy nods obediently and digs through his pocket with his right hand. What he takes out is…

…Oh! A vinyl umbrella.

"What are you going to do with that umbrella you pulled out?" I asked.

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"Um, that thing you're holding, that's an umbrella, right?" I pointed to the umbrella in his hand.

"Yes, it is. What about it?"

"It's not raining now or anything. Why did you take it out?"

"Rain… Ah! It's true that when water drops fall from the sky on rainy days, if you take an umbrella with you, you won't get wet! I think I'll try that next time. Thank you very much."

"…"

What…?

"Well then, I'll be going." Even though it still isn't raining, he opens the umbrella, turns around, and leaves.

"…What just happened?" I stare at the man's back in utter amazement. "…I'll just go back in." For some reason…I have the feeling I've been made fun of by a tanuki or a fox or something.

I didn't see anything.

…Yeah, not a thing.

I make up my mind and return to the shop.

When I return inside, I find Bonjin-kun completely out of it.

"Cleaning…cleaning…?"

…That's right.

That gas mask guy made me completely forget. The shop is still in a crazy mess because of those brats…

"Aah…"

First the kids, then the gas mask guy… Today's just one of those days. Suddenly feeling tired, I slowly begin to put away the items that lay scattered around back in order.

* * *

After work finishes for the day, I leave the store with deliveries to Mizuki. The order came from Mizuki's shop, so I thought about meeting him on the way home.

When you go a bit north from Heibon, there's Mizuki's shop, 'Black Needle'. It was originally a studio tattoo parlor, but since then the waiting room was turned into a bar and the parlor became a hangout spot. Even outside of Rib team members and their tag arts, tattoos have become popular, especially is casual fashion, so Mizuki's shop was doing pretty well. Of course, since Mizuki is a tattooist, he's asked if he could tattoo me. I'm not interested so I won't do it.

I walk into the darkening town and arrive near Black Needle. This area is Dry Juice's territory. I notice some of the members walking around. When I was with Mizuki I became acquainted with the members too, so they won't bother me when I walk through their territory.

"Aah, Aoba-san."

"Hey, long time no see."

"Business with Mizuki-san?"

"Our shop got an order. I came to deliver it."

"Mizuki-san's at our hangout."

"Got it. I'll try going there then."

The hangout isn't far from here.

I decide to head over there.

The Dry Juice hangout is an area that branches out into several alleys. Because of the large number of people, their hangout area is spread pretty far. While members hung out in each alley, Mizuki would always be standing in one place. In front of stairs where their huge tag art is drawn, Mizuki stands talking with other members. When he notices me, Mizuki beckons me to come closer with his hand.

"Nice to see you again! Heibon's delivery service here." I said with a cheerful voice and a smile.

"Oh, the things I asked for? Thanks." Mizuki said. I pass him the bag and send the receipt with my Coil. I receive a confirmation reply from Mizuki, and with that the delivery is done. "Thanks for doing this. Your shop even has minor parts for stuff, so it's worth it to rely on you."

"I'll tell that to the boss." I said.

"Are you going home after this?" Mizuki asked.

"Yeah."

"Good job. I'm going back to my shop now, come and have a drink." Mizuki offers.

"Well, if you insist."

Mizuki begins to walk away from the wall. I follow after him. The surrounding members greet Mizuki as he passes them. Among them are guys who bow as low as 90 degrees, and Mizuki gives them wry smiles.

Black Needle is a dark building with a small sign placed where it won't attract attention. When the door is opened and we head inside, I'm greeted by a music playing at a nice tempo. The bar that served as a waiting room was larger than one would imagine just form seeing the size of the shop. In the dim lighting, several people sit sunken into a sofa, reading a magazine or talking in whispers. Reception on the left side, bar counter on the right, and the door leads to the back room where tattoos were done.

Mizuki talks with a young part-timer at the reception desk. In the meantime, I look around at the state of the shop. "Not as many customers today." When I casually ask this to Mizuki after he finishes talking with the part timer, his expression turns bitter.

"That's right…"

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"No, you know. We talked about it yesterday, remember? The mysterious disappearances." Mizuki said.

"Yeah." I nodded my head remembering the conversation we had.

"I think the decrease in customers is also due to that."

"What? Like everyone's scared and stopped going outside?" I questioned.

"I think the influence isn't quite that strong yet, but…Overall, it's growing, or at least it feels like it." Mizuki says.

"I see."

"After that, we got some information again. But I can't tell the truth from the lies at all." With a serious expression Mizuki urges me to lend an ear. I bring my face closer to him. "They're saying it really was Morphine abducting the teams."

"That's not possible. Morphine is…" I began to speak but Mizuki cuts me off with his still serious expression.

"There are apparently some guys who have seen Morphine."

"Isn't that some random remark of some idiot who wants attention? You believe that?"

"That's why I said I don't know if it's true or not. I only heard it from some people. Anyway, now all Rib teams are growing uneasy with the fear of a surprise attack. But," Mizuki then raises the edges of his mouth defiantly. "Morphine or whatever it is, it doesn't concern our team. They won't be a threat."

"Right?" While I return the smile, I remember a fain anxiety. I feel like Mizuki's been putting a little too much effort into Rib recently. I hope he doesn't collapse or anything…

"Oh right, let's drink something. Let's go over there."

When I walk towards the bar with Mizuki, a tattoo design displayed by the reception desk catches my eyes. It's carefully put in a frame. "Was this here before?" I asked.

"Oh, that." Mizuki said looking at the tattoo displayed "No, I got that from a tattooist I respect. Cool, isn't it? He's a famous person said to have God's skills but he doesn't have a shop. If he doesn't personally know you, he won't tattoo you."

"So he refuses strangers?" I said.

"That's right. A little while ago he came to this shop by chance, and I got it then. He really was a person with an unusual aura after all." Mizuki seems to be extremely happy. He really likes that picture.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Mizuki seems to be extremely happy. He really likes that picture.

"If he's that amazing, I'd like to see him once, too." I said.

"But I thought you didn't want a tattoo, right?" Mizuki pointed out.

"Yeah."

"In that case, no way." He said.

"Huuh?" I let out a surprise yell looking at him in confusion.

"If you want to know why, it'd cost you 1 million yen."

"Expensive!" I shouted "That's some serious overcharging."

"Ahaha."

As we joke and laugh, the ringtone of my Coil sounds. "…Hm?" It was a call from Delivery Works. "Hello?"

" _Ah, thank goodness it went through! Aoba-chan!?"_

"Yes?"

" _It's me, me! Yoshie!"_

"What's the matter?"

" _Oh my, it's serious! Very serious! Please listen to me and don't panic, okay?"_

"…Okay." I responded very confused.

" _Tae-san has…!"_

"-! Granny!?"

* * *

Granny had fallen down.

After I hang up the phone call from Yoshie-san, I explain the situation to Mizuki and hurry out to Delivery Works. She fell down on her way to a patient's house where she was going to deliver some medicine that she had prescribed. She was then taken to the Delivery Works which happened to be nearby.

Anyway… I ran at full speed. My heart felt like it was about to explode and I had no breath left. My whole body is tense, my fingers and toes tingling. Granny's collapsed from overwork before. It was because of…me. It was because I made her worry all the time. I honestly regret what happened back then. When I think of actually losing Granny, I get so scared it makes me tremble. I don't want to think about it ever again.

Never again.

"…Guh…!"

I-I have to get to Granny quickly…!

Granny…!

* * *

"You people are just exaggerating things."

…That's the first thing I hear. When I rush into Delivery Works, I see Granny leaning back in a chair. After seeing that… I almost collapse on the spot. Granny had certainly fallen down. It turns out she can't move at all… In other words, she dislocated her hip. Apparently Yoshie-san who made the call had seen Granny in pain and was frightened to death. As soon as I enter the shop, she apologizes earnestly with an 'I'm so sorryyy'.

Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed, but… I'm also glad it's nothing serious. What a relief…

That said, Granny can't walk so I have to carry her home.

"Really, you people are just exaggerating things."

"…" Granny complains about the same thing as earlier while on my back. I walk home slowly to avoid moving her too much. "It can't be helped. Everyone's worried about you, Granny. I am too."

"I'm still healthy enough." Granny argued.

"I know that, but still."

Behind us, Ren follows, tapping along with his small legs.

"When I can't move a little you treat me like I'm going to die right away." Granny kicked me in the leg.

"Owowow. Don't kick me. Anyway, let's go to the hospital tomorrow? Okay?" Since Granny is quite rowdy for her age, I'm afraid I might drop her.

And…

She was light.

I never really thought too much about it, but was she always this small? This is the first time I'd ever carried her on my back.

"Thinking back, you used to be the one to carry me around." I spoke nostalgically.

"Hm?"

"I was just talking about the past."

"…Hmph. Because you always went off on your own." Granny said.

"On my own?"

"Yes. I would look away for a moment, and before I knew it you'd be gone."

"Is that so? I can't remember at all." I said.

"I'd get lonely."

"Lonely? Why?" I asked.

"Because you only started to go off on your own once your parents were gone." Granny told me.

"Ah…"

I see.

My memory of my parents is hazy. But I do remember the times when Granny carried me on her back. It was warm and smelled like her. I would always calm down.

"Well, that was when you were small, so I won't blame you. But now you're all grown up and stupid."

Ouch.

"That's just how it is." I said with a strain smile "At this age it's normal to act differently than you did as a kid."

"Nobody said anything about that." She said.

"Granny, could you carry me on your back like the old days? A challenge, seeing as we're both healthy enough?" I question her seriously.

"Don't spout nonsense. Are you trying to kill me?" Granny snaps at me.

"I'm just joking." I chuckled lightly.

"Hmph."

"…Granny." I began to speak after a short silence.

"What is it?"

"You're light."

"Shut your hole!"

"Ow!"

I'm slapped hard on the side of my head. But for some reason I being to feel happy and smile to myself. I'm so relieved that Granny's safe. When I think that someday this noisiness will be gone, I feel lonely. I walk silently down the darkening road, feeling Granny's warmth on my back.

The next morning I carried Granny on my back again and took her to the neighboring hospital. I thought I'd take the day off from my part-time job just in case, and called Haga-san. Even though it was called a hospital, this is the Old Resident District, so it meant the facilities were old and small, there were few doctors, and it was always crowded. It was wearing down here and there, and it couldn't be complimented on how sanitary it was, either. But all the people in the hospital were kind.

They knew Granny from earlier and when I called, they said we could come immediately. Granny hated going to the hospital and always said she could take care of herself, but today she obediently underwent the medical examination. Perhaps she had been enduring the pain out of pride. They said her hip wasn't that bad and it could be treated at home, so I carried Granny home after the examination. When I laid Granny on a futon and sighed, she said she'd only be sleeping so I should go to my job already.

I was still worried, but once Granny begins speaking, she won't listen to anything. When I talked with Haga-san on the phone, and he said it was okay if I could come as soon as I could for now, and I decided to go to the shop.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

I feel uneasy as I go into the shop, and eventually I receive a message. It's from Koujaku.

 _ **Koujaku**_

 _ **(No Subject)**_

 _ **I saw Mizuki, but something seemed strange. When I talked to him, he kept spacing out and wouldn't react. I think you'd better off listening instead of me. If you have time, contact him. I'll come talk about the details later.**_

"Mizuki…" Something must be strange if Koujaku even sent me a message about it. Maybe he really is overdoing it… I leave the counter, walk towards the toilet, and call Mizuki. "…Hello? Mizuki?"

"… _Aoba, huh? What's the matter?"_

Good, he answered the phone. I feel a little relieved.

"Ah, nothing. I don't really have anything important to say, I just wanted to talk."

" _What, we just saw each other yesterday. You're a weird girl."_

"Nn… Naah. I was just wondering if you're okay." I asked ignoring his last comment.

" _Course I am. Why?"_

"Because when we met yesterday, I thought you didn't seem so hot. Just a little, though."

" _So you called because you were worried. Thanks. But I'm okay."_

"Really?"

" _Yeah."_

"Alright. Well then, let's talk some more another time."

" _Right. Bye then."_ Mizuki said hanging up.

"…" After the call, I sigh and head back to the counter. There was no life in Mizuki's voice after all. He said he was okay, so I didn't listen too deeply, but…

On top of Granny falling down yesterday, my worries just keep growing. I hope they're just imaginary fears…

I spend the rest of the afternoon worrying about Mizuki and Granny, unable to concentrate on work. When I come back home after my part-time job, I restlessly try to open the lock on the front door.

I wonder if Granny behaved herself?

…However, I stop my hand halfway.

Something's strange.

"Huh?" When I insert the key, something feels different.

…Don't tell me.

"…It's open." The door isn't locked. Did I go out without locking it again…? "This is bad, Granny's inside… What do I do if something happened?" The bonds between the people in the community are strong, but security isn't tight, and it wasn't uncommon to hear of thieves.

I feel sick of my own forgetfulness and I enter the house, listening carefully.

…There doesn't seem to be any sign of people.

I take off my shoes and enter the corridor before heading straight to Granny's room. I open the door quietly and peep inside to find Granny sleeping buried in the futon.

Looks like nothing happened…

I heave a sigh of relief and return to the corridor.

"…Hm?"

I stop going up the stairs.

Something…felt strange.

It's quiet in the house because Granny was sleeping, and there's nothing particularly strange.

Is it my imagination?

I twist my neck as I walk up the stairs and open the door to my room.

…Inside, I realize that it wasn't just my imagination.

"Wha-what's all this…?" Not that it's anything to brag about, but my room was never particularly clean. There were books and magazines piled up on the floor, and there were also many things I just left there because cleaning them up would be a pain.

But… I don't remember it being this dirty.

The room is a complete mess, almost like a storm blew its way through it. There are no places left to stand. Everything has been pulled out, and even the table was turned over. And in the middle of it all sits something that I would've never wanted to see.

…A person is sitting in front of the computer monitor. Just boldly sitting there. I can only think of one thing this person might be. It's just like what I was thinking of earlier.

"Thief!" I yelled glaring daggers at the person "What are you doing in someone else's room!?"

The person in front of the computer looks up slowly as if he only just realizes my presence. He's completely unfamiliar face and I've never seen him before in my life. He seems to be about the same age as me.

"Welcome back."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Wha…!? Who are you? Why are you in my room…?" I demanded.

"By the way-" He ignores me as I tremble with anger and taps on the keyboard with his middle finger.

"Hey! I didn't say you could touch that!"

"I don't understand the data inside of here at all. What's this even supposed to be?" He says still ignoring my pervious outburst "Even the Allmate remodeling program here is complicated. Who the hell are you?"

"Like hell I'd tell you! Just get out!"

"…" The man laughs through his nose as if he's looking down on me and stands up. "Hey, you. Don't you know who I am?"

"Wha?" I looked at him confused. Know him? I never even seen him before.

"I think you do know, though."

"…I don't know you at all. You've got the wrong person."

"…" The man looks into my eyes and opens his mouth slowly. "This time, it is such an honor. So let's have a fun game, shall we?"

"…!?"

…I've heard that somewhere before.

What? Where was it?

I've got a very unpleasant feeling…

"Still don't know?" The man takes something out of his pants pocket. It's something full of rabbit heads…a key chain.

"…!" This guy…

Satisfied with my reaction, the man drops the key chain and looks at me. "It was a pretty entertaining setup, wasn't it? Misdirected home delivery and all."

"! Were you the Drive-Byer back then? And the home delivery…" I said once everything begins to click. "Were you the one that ordered from us?"

"Yeah. When I investigated various things I found out you worked there, so I thought I'd have you come to me." He said "I paid in advance, so there's no problems for the shop, right?"

"…That's not the issue." I recall how completely at a loss Haga-san was, and the anger wells up.

"By the way. It was like that before too, but… When we did Rhyme, what did you do?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. I'm asking how you beat me."

"…Beat you?" During that Drive-By thing, did I beat this guy? I can't remember…

"Are you deaf? Say something."

"No. …I don't remember." I said looking down to the ground.

"What?"

"I can't remember a thing about what happened during Rhyme…"

"…" The man frowns a little, but immediately forms a straight face again. "So that's how you try to get out of it."

"…Guh!" Suddenly, he grabs me by my coat collar and presses me against the wall. This guy's stronger than he looks…!

"Then I'll have to use force. It seems to be the most effective way for you."

"…Gh, let me go!"

"You really don't remember?"

"I don't remember!"

"…" The man stares into my eyes intently as if he's trying to find something. "Fight me in Rhyme one more time."

"Wha? I don't know how to do Rhyme,…ugh." I'm pressed against the wall with even more force.

"Still going to say that?" He said "Then I'll destroy what's important to you."

"!"

"I know what's important to you. I know all about it." The man's eyes look at the computer, suggesting something.

What this guy's talking about is probably…Ren.

He's threatening me. If I don't accept, he's really gonna do it.

A dangerous atmosphere fills the room.

But even now I don't feel like fighting him in Rhyme. And I'm beginning to get angry at his ridiculous behavior. "…Give me a break!" I raise my knee to kick the man. But because of my awkward position, the attack fails and he guards it with one hand. "…Ugh!" He pulls the leg he caught, and I fall down sliding along the wall I was pressed against. "Ouch!" While I endure the pain that hit straight to my back, the man sits on my stomach. "Hey! What do you think you're doing!?"

"Shut up." With an indifferent expression, the man holds my arm and suddenly twists it.

"Owow ow ow ow!"

"You can still do Rhyme with only one hand."

"Geh!"

This guy…!

"If you don't want a broken arm, fight me."

My arm creaks, bent backwards and twisted at the joint. I absolutely…do not want to do Rhyme. I don't want to make any trouble for Ren, either. What should I do…?

I hear a heavy sound from somewhere. But I can't afford to think about what it is. "That hurts..!" A strong pain runs through my arm and I grit my teeth.

"…?"

"Please separate from Master."

"!"

Suddenly I hear the voice of a different person. I turn to look and…I'm very startled. "You…"

"Hello, Master."

I'm not sure when he came in, but next to the man stands the gas mask-wearing guy I'd met in front of Heibon.

"…" The man in green stands cautious with his whole body like a hedgehog, and moves to put some distance between him and the gas mask guy. I rub my aching arm when I'm released, then straighten myself. "You…When'd you come in?"

"Just now, through that door over there. Master, is this a friend of yours?"

"No… Hm? But that door…" When I look at the veranda…I see the door wide open. No, the lock's been cut off completely… "You…what have you done?"

"The door was closed, so I open it." The gas mask guy said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, and that just anger me.

"That's not what I meant…."

"Master?" The man in green said after watching our conversation.

"Yes. Master is my Master."

"…Are you kidding me?" The man scowls at the other man and I with a fierce expression. Even though he's looking at me like that, I have no idea what's happening at all. I mean, everything's getting confusing, and…

"Anyway, please don't bully Master, I won't allow it."

"…" I just gave the gas mask man a deadpan stare.

"That's ridiculous."

…Don't tell me he's actually getting really angry?

The man in green turns his body towards the gas mask guy. I can feel his bloodlust even as he faces the other way.

"Hey…"

…I have to stop them. If my room gets any more messed up, I'll be in trouble…!

"Aoba!"

"Eh!?" Suddenly the door opens and Koujaku flies in.

"Are you okay!?"

"Koujaku…!? Why are you-"

"I sent you a message saying I'd come to talk about Mizuki, didn't I? Then I saw some weirdo in a gas mask going in through the veranda." Koujaku said. "So I came in a hurry… Seems that someone else besides gas mask guy is here too." Koujaku fixes his eyes on the gas mask man and the man in green.

"The way I'm seeing it, you're the ones who're in the way." The man in green said.

"So you're not that guy's friend?"

"Don't lump me with him."

"We certainly have not yet put each other in a category called friends." The gas mask guy said.

"Anyway, you guys better leave right now. Or else I'll throw you out." Koujaku threaten them.

"How?" The man in green said.

"I guess I wouldn't have any other choice but to use brute force."

"I'd like to see you try." The man raises the edges of his mouth to provoke Koujaku. "You're shouldering some big stuff, are you actually so weak to need to do something like that?"

"…" Normally he would never be provoked by something like this, but is he actually… Koujaku puts both hands together and cracks his knuckles in front of me. Aah…It's useless to try and stop him. "I'll shut that bratty mouth of yours up right now!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" As soon as I say that, Koujaku takes a long stride towards the man. The distance between the two becomes smaller and he tries to catch him.

"…Huh!" The man dodges quickly, drops down low, and tries to hit Koujaku. Just before the man's fist can graze his cheek, Koujaku avoids it.

…Hey, I shouldn't be just sitting around and watching!

"Stop it! This is my room!"

"Both of them are strong, aren't they?"

"Now's not the time to say something so carefree!" I snapped at the gas mask man, who stood beside me watching the fight. Aside from with this man, Koujaku usually had lots of patience, he must have a short-temper switch for some situations…! And if the switch is turned on, he won't listen to anyone else.

As the two of them brawl on the floor, the magazines and trash can also on the floor are kicked, steeped on and crushed.

Aaaaaaah…

The other stuff is fine, but please don't go near the computer…

"Can you both just freakin' stop…!?"

The sound of the two of them rampaging almost covers my shout, but I can hear pounding footsteps coming up the stairs towards my room.

"You brats are too noisy! Give me a break!" The door opens violently and Granny's angry voice echoes throughout the room. Koujaku, the man in green, gas mask guy and I all stop moving and turn to look at Granny as if we were little chicks. "You youngsters…" A very visible blood vessel appears on her forehead, and she looks at us with eyes burning with anger. "Everyone, downstairs! Right now!"


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"…"

"…"

"Ow…" Following Granny's orders, we headed downstairs and sat silently at the table.

My head hurts…Granny hit me.

Of course, everyone else got the same treatment. Every one of us was at fault, so as a result we were all hit-and now there are large bumps on our heads.

When I saw Granny going over to hit the man in green earlier, I was afraid he would fight back, but even though he was in an openly bad mood he didn't really say anything. I wonder why? Because his opponent was a delicate old person? Or maybe it was something completely different…

When Granny asked me how all of this happened in the first place, I confesses to forgetting to lock the front door again. Then I was also given a bump on the head. I'll make sure to never forget to lock the front door again…

"I never thought I'd be hit too!" That reminds me, this gas mask guy said his name was Clear when I met him before. He has the same suspicious presence as the man in green…

"Aoba, come over here for a minute!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Granny calls me into the kitchen and I stand up from my chair while rubbing the bump. Earlier, I heard the sound of something being fried and a sweet smell filled the air. Now, when I look at Granny's hands, I see doughnuts piled in a basket covered with kitchen paper. So she really was cooking things for us.

"Bring that. Everyone's fine with tea, right?"

"Yes, yes. Oh, by the way, Granny."

"What?"

"Is it okay for you to be up already? How's your hip?"

"Can't you tell by looking? Stop babbling on and go already." Granny drives me off and I return to the table with the doughnuts. Then, I fill everyone's teacups and return to my own seat. After a while, Granny comes to sit down too. "When people are full, their anger will naturally subside. Eat already."

"So these are for us? I could tell what you were making by the smell. Your doughnuts are exceptional, Tae-san." Koujaku said with his usual smile.

"Just hurry up and eat."

Koujaku, who knows the smell of Granny's doughnuts well, immediately reaches out to the basket. The man in green and the gas mask guy keep staring at the doughnuts as if they're completely alien objects.

"If you're going to eat then eat, if not, then don't."

The gas mask guy can't eat if he doesn't remove the mask, and the man in green doesn't even seem to want to eat in the first place. I didn't think he would, but surprisingly enough he picks up a doughnut. He still looks grumpy but he starts to nibble at his doughnut.

"They're sweet."

"That's a given. It's that kind of food."

"But it's still sweet."

"You don't have to force yourself to eat it."

"…"

Granny snorts, displeased. The man continues gnawing at his doughnut. It's completely impossible to read what this guy is thinking. I then look at the gas mask guy… to Clear, and it looks like he hasn't moved at all.

"You're not going to eat? Granny's doughnuts are delicious." I told him with a smile.

"I'll eat."

"Then I guess you'd better hurry?"

"Yes, I'll eat."

Clear keeps still. If he can't eat it he doesn't take of his mask, will he still take one?

Expecting something to happen, I continue to stare at Clear while lightly sipping my tea. "…Huh?" I realize a doughnut from Clear's side of the basket is now gone. And…I think his mask is moving up and down. "You…Did you just eat one?"

"Yes, I did. They're delicious."

"…Maybe it's a super power."

Did he eat it while wearing his gas mask?

How?

…Well, let's not go there.

I grab a doughnut and start eating too. Granny's doughnuts are good even when cooled down, but when they're freshly made, a special, gentle sweetness will flow through your mouth when you take a bite.

As I taste my doughnut, Koujaku, who's already finished eating, stands up. He turns around before going into the hallway and beckons me to come over.

Me?

When I pointed to myself, Koujaku nods several times.

What is it?

I lower my half-eaten doughnut and stand up to go into the hallway with Koujaku.

"…Phew. Everything got really confusing all of a sudden." I guess he wanted to escape the strange atmosphere in the living room. He lets out a sigh, maybe because he only feels comfortable away from everyone else.

"Yeah, that's for sure…" I sigh.

"Anyway, about Mizuki. Did you contact or meet with him at all?"

"Yeah, I called him. He said he was fine, but… I felt like he wasn't as energetic as before."

"Really…?"

"Did something happen to Mizuki?"

"Well, I told you that Mizuki was acting strange, didn't I? Around then, members of my team and members of Dry Juice had some trouble." Koujaku begin to explain things "Mizuki was also there. Hasn't he always tried to negotiate these things out before? For some reason, he seemed kind of absentminded and kept spacing out, and he just watched the fight without trying to stop it. In the end I had to stop it instead. I thought Mizuki looked strange, and asked if he was all right. When I did, he gave me this 'Leave me alone!' glare."

"Mizuki did?" I said astonished. That's almost hard to believe.

Koujaku nodded his head "Yeah. He didn't look like his usual self, seemed like he was brooding over something."

"…" I looked over to the side with my hand under my chin deep in thought, thinking over what Koujaku told me.

"Aoba, can't you remember anything? Has he been having any trouble recently?"

"…Earlier, when I was at Mizuki's shop, we did talk about the mysterious disappearances." I said.

"Ah. The rumors about entire Rib teams disappearing, right." Koujaku said recognizing the rumor.

"I think he was really worried about that."

"I've definitely heard that there are teams that have disappeared, but…"

"Morphine! Morphine!"

"!"

"Ah!?"

Both Koujaku and I are surprised when we suddenly hear a high pitched voice. Something right behind my back falls on the floor.

"That thing… it's his!" What rolls on the floor in one of the cubs that rabbit headed man had attached to his waist. Was it in the hood of my jacket…!? The cube hops back towards the living room. "That guy…!"

"…!" Koujaku chases after the cube into the living room. "Hey, you little shit. You were eavesdropping just now, weren't you?"

"It's not like it was something worth going to the trouble of asking about."

"Bastard…"

"Like the mysterious disappearances. Rib's not trendy anymore these days, so doesn't it feel like they're just holding some exciting event?" The man in green said.

"What'd you say?" Koujaku's voice shows clear anger. "Hey, it's not a joking matter. There really are teams that haven't returned."

"I dunno. Doesn't it only mean it's better to stop doing Rib if you're scared?"

"You bastard…" Koujaku becomes angry and the man looks back at him even more coldly. "You, what's your name?"

"It's good manners to give your own name first."

"An asshole like you probably doesn't even have any manners, why should I have to?"

"Then don't ask." The man in green response back coldly.

"Wait a minute. This doesn't need to get ugly. He's Koujaku. And you?" I quickly speak hoping I could stop another fight that is about to come.

"…Noiz." He said.

"No one likes little shits like you." Koujaku said.

"I don't really care if you like me or not."

"Son of a bitch…"

"That's enough." Granny, who'd remained silent until now, suddenly cuts off all hostility between the two with a single sentence. "If you're going to fight, do it elsewhere. You're so noisy I can't stand it."

"…Sorry, Tae-san."

"…"

Glancing at the apologizing Koujaku, Noiz stand up in silence.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked.

"Home." As soon as he mutters that he leaves the living room.

"And the rest of you, if you've finished eating, go back home."

Clear rises to Granny's voice and bows. "It was delicious. Well then, Master, goodbye."

"Ah, wait a sec." Clear exits the living room into the hallway as I chase after him.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Whether we meet again or not…If there's a second time, come in normally." I told him, already thinking about how much it's going to cost me to get an new lock…maybe I have some tools somewhere in my room it fix it instead.

"Normally?"

"Don't fall from the sky or come in through the veranda, normally people come in through the front door."

"Why can't I come from the sky or the veranda?"

You're kidding me right?

"It's just weird, okay? And startling. It's bad for the heart."

"Bad for the heart…" Clear mutter then nodded his head "I see. I understand." Clear raises his hand with a 'Yes!', and then puts it to his chest. "It's about the heart here, right?"

"Ah… Well yeah, but…"

"When I'm with Master, I learn a lot. Thank you very much."

"…Really."

"Until next time."

"Yeah…"

Bowing once again, Clear leaves from the entryway.

"What's up with that gas mask guy…"Koujaku returns to the hallway from the living room, muttering about Clear.

"I don't know…"I mutter.

"He's not someone you know?"

"Someone I know, well… I don't think so. I don't really know him."

"Hey, hey, keep it together." Koujaku looks amazed. But unexpectedly, he rubs his neck with one hand as if he's embarrassed. "I'm sorry about earlier. I just kind of snapped. It would be nice if you could tell Tae-san too."

"You apologized earlier, I think it's fine." I told him.

"And I'm sorry for going nuts like that in your room…"

"Ah, well, it's over already. It's been a while since I've seen you so angry, though."

"I'm not good with guys like that who don't know how to compromise." Koujaku sighs with defeated expression. "I remembered it just now, but… isn't he in a Rhyme team?"

"Rhyme team?"

"Yeah. I think it was named 'Ruff Rabbit'. Before, when our team and members of another team had a fight, I remember seeing him there. He seemed to know I was doing Rib too, so I guess I'm right. The more I think about it, the worse it makes me feel."

"So Rhyme has teams too. I didn't know that." I said.

"I think they only started forming teams recently. They're probably doing it to gather information more easily. It just bothers me."

In Rib there are lots of guys who think that being teammate's equals being family, but Rhyme might be different in the aspect. Dry and efficient. Just by looking at Noiz it's clear enough.

"Well, putting that guy aside, I'll make it so I can help out Mizuki too. If you know anything, give me a call."

"Okay." I nodded.

"See ya." Koujaku raises one hand and walks out the front door.

"…Whew." After seeing Koujaku off, I return to my room feeling a little weak. Maybe I'm so tired because of all the things that happened today.

Oh, right, I forgot to tell Koujaku that it was Noiz who had pulled me in the Rhyme…

But if I tell him, the next time he sees Noiz he'll do nothing but pick a fight.

 **In the next chapter:**

 **"Yes, this is Junk Shop Heibon."**

 **"..."** **  
**

 **"Hello?"** **  
**

 **.** **  
**

 **"...Noiz!?"** **  
**

 **"Yo."** **  
**

 **Wh...Why did he come to the shop!?** **  
**

 **.** **  
**

 **"D-Don't...just say 'What?'! What did you just do!?"** **  
**

 **"Didn't I just kiss you?"** **  
**

 **.** **  
**

 **"Join my team."** **  
**

 **"Huh?"** **  
**

 **.** **  
**

 **"You were really strong at Rhyme when I faced you before. Let's go it again."** **  
**

 **"No I wasn't. You've got the wrong person."** **  
**

 **.** **  
**

 **"Even just this much?" Noiz slightly raises his eyebrows. And then, behind me, my bag is being pulled down on by something on it. What was pulling on the strap was… the Bunny Cube.**

 **When did it get there…!?**

 **"You…!"**

 **"What will you do now?"**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Thinking over the day's events, I open the door while a feeling of weakness washes over me. I already know my room is a disaster, but I can't help thinking about how bad it is…

"Dammit…"

Everything's been crazy lately. I remember Noiz's cocky attitude and a bit of anger perks up.

I decide to only pick up things that had fallen on the ground, and afterwards I plop myself down on the bed. I'll clean the rest tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow. I've already had too much excitement for one day. I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

…Hm?

When I felt a breeze and opened my eyes, there was a gaping hole on the door to the veranda.

…That gas mask guy…

…But I kinda don't care anymore. I don't wanna get up.

In the end, I fell asleep as it was.

The next day comes.

Because I was so tired from yesterday, I arrived at Heibon just barely in time. Haga-san went out as soon as he opened the shop, so I'm taking care of the shop alone. Only Bonjin-kun and I are in the shop. Since hardly any customers have come, I have lots of free time. I spend the time thinking about yesterday's events.

Noiz and Clear.

A trespasser and a weird guy in a gas mask.

I don't understand either of them… But when everyone went home and the noisiness vanished from the house, I actually might have felt a little lonely. It's a bit like thinking it's nice to have something lively happen once in a while…

"Yes, this is Junk Shop Heibon." I snapped out of my thoughts when the phone went off and quickly picked it up.

"…"

"Hello?"

"…"

He hangs up without saying anything.

What?

A prank?

"Suicide attaaaack!"

"It's a suicide attaaaaack!"

"This place is as lame as always!"

The door opens and loud voices echo through the room.

"You brats again!"

"Ah, it's Aoba!" Kio smiles.

"Aobaaa!"

"Looking boring as usual!" Mio said.

Sheesh, they're always, always so uncute…

"Oh! Target found!" Kio suddenly says.

"Found!" Nao said.

The evil brats' interest moves from me to Bonjin-kun.

"C-Cleeeeeeeeaning!" Bonjin-kun stops by hitting the brakes to hide behind me.

Wait, wait.

Doesn't that mean I'll be their new target?

"Waiiit!"

"Wait, waiiit!"

"Stay put!"

"Ugh, kids, don't hang from me!" I try to say in a polite tone.

As I struggle with the noisy brats, I hear the door open again. I think it's a customer, but…

"…Noiz!?"

"Yo."

Wh… Why did he come to the shop!?

Noiz approaches me while curiously looking over the shop. The evil brats let go of me and keep their eyes trained on Noiz.

"Hey, hey! Isn't it weird to have a customer?" Mio says.

"Customer! A customer came!" Nao cheered.

"Right, change of target! Let's charge towards the customer!"

"H-Hey, you kids…!" Before I can stop them, the brats dash towards Noiz. Crap, he's going to get angry…!

"Uwhoa!"

I thought he would get angry, but instead he avoids them easily. The advancing Kio and Nao fall forward. And then, Mio…

"H-Hey! Let me go!" Just before she bumps into him, Noiz catches her and lifts her up like a kitten. "Let me go! What're you doing!?" Mio pounds on Noiz's chest desperately. Without budging, Noiz silently continues to watch Mio.

It's kind of a surreal scene…

As I watch, dumbfounded, Noiz does something completely unexpected.

Wow…

He takes Mio's struggling hand, brings his lips close to it, and kisses it.

"Wha…" I gasp dumbfounded. What the hell…!? But Mio's still even more surprised than me. Well, who wouldn't be…?

Mio trembles madly, her face red like a boiled octopus. "Wha, wha, wha-"

"Violent girls aren't cute." Noiz says something absolutely absurd.

"Le, le, le…" Mio opens and closes her mouth like a goldfish, then closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Let me go! You sexual harassment piercing guy!"

"Sexual harassment piercing guy…" I chuckled slightly at the name.

Noiz doesn't really react and just puts Mio on the floor.

Mio jumps back from Noiz immediately, and after retreating a safe distance shoves an index finger in his direction. "You have so many holes in your face, what're you going to do if blood comes out!?"

"What!? Blood!?"

"Blood!?"

Kio and Nao, who had been acting injured after falling forward, stand up when they hear their sister's words. Fortunately, the older brothers hadn't seen Noiz's performance. That's a relief…

"What'd you do to Mio!?" Kio demands.

"What'd you dooooo!?"

"Nothing much."

"Stop it, you two!" Mio hurries to stop the two as they draw closer to Noiz. Her face is still bright red.

"Eh, but…"

"Let's just run away!"

"But we haven't beaten him yet!" Nao says.

"You don't have to!" While screaming, Mio dashes out of the store. The older brothers chase after her in a hurry.

…The store suddenly became silent.

I can hear Bonjin-kun's gears moving faintly, but all I do is stare at Noiz, too surprised to speak. "You…what were you doing to that young girl over there?"

Noiz gives me a puzzled look. "What?"

"Just kissing her hand and stuff…Normally that would put people off."

"I don't think it's that unusual."

"No, nonononono! It is that unusual!" I waved my hands in front of me with a closed strain smile, "…Hm?" Noiz just barges in, puts his hands down, and hangs over the counter. He looks into my eyes… "!"…And something soft touches my lips.

…

….

…W-Was that…

"….Y-Y-You-"

"? What?"

"D-Don't…just say 'What?'! What did you just do!?"

"Didn't I just kiss you?"

"Huh!?"

Noiz watches me calmly as I freak out.

This guy…

Seriously, what's wrong with him!?

"Normally, guys don't go going kissing random people!"

"Really?"

"Yes!" I said with a beat red face as Noiz is still completely composed, I gave him a hard stare trying to figure him out. I mean seriously, guys don't normally go around kissing people. But it doesn't seem like Noiz was trying to mess with me or anything…

…I need to get myself together.

He's weird. Definitely.

I wipe my lips with the back of my hand, and calm down by taking deep breaths. "…Anyway, why did you even come here?"

Noiz stares at me in a fixed gaze. "Join my team."

"Huh?" Where did this come from? "Your team… you mean Rhyme?"

"Yeah."

…He never planned to listen to my opinion from the start. "Then, wait. Until we come to a mutual understanding here, we're just going to talk it out."

"Yeah, if you join my team that is."

"Then we wouldn't have to talk about it…!"

"You were really strong at Rhyme when I faced you before. Let's go at it again." Noiz continues to say.

"No I wasn't. You've got the wrong person."

"…" Noiz sinks into silence and just stares at me. He has a sour look on his face, and winces a small bit. What's wrong with him…? "…Well, that's not the issue here right now." Noiz takes his gaze off of me and lets out a frustrated sigh. "It's in front of your shop today."

"What is?" I asked.

"Rhyme."

"Rhyme?"

"Usui's going to appear around here today. Our predictions are always on target."

I frown, unable to decrypt what he's going on about. Boisterous noise travels all the way from outside.

"We're going."

"Eh?"

"Just come." Noiz steps over the counter and grabs my arm.

"Hey, let me go! The shop…"

"Shut up." His grip on my arm is so firm that I can't shake him off, and I'm just barely able to grab my bag with Ren inside. When I go outside the shop, I see a sweltering back alley that no one ever goes through. A crowd of people head inside. Both Noiz and I head that way as well. "It's around here." When we enter the grim alleyway, Noiz stands still. And before I had noticed, there was a Bunny Cube in his hand.

"Is that your Allmate?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

It's weird for him to have such a cute one…

"It'll start soon." Right after he said that a dim light starts to shine shortly enough. A ring of light appears in the empty space, and Usui shows from its ankles up. The surrounding participants raise their voices in excitement, and even more people come when they hear them. "Just like I said."

"…Yeah." I slowly nodded my head taking in the surrounding area.

"Go up and take a look."

"I said I never liked this in the first place." I hiss at him.

"Even just this much?" Noiz slightly raises his eyebrows.

And then, behind me, my bag is being pulled down on by something on it. What was pulling on the strap was… the Bunny Cube.

When did it get there…!?

"You…!"

"What will you do now?"

The audience crowds together, and I hold tightly onto my bag: there's no way to escape anymore. "...Geh…"

"P!" At that moment, something glides to my bag and hits the cube that's pulling down on it. The surrounding crowd is in a commotion—it's complete chaos.

"Yo." The one who picks my bag up is Koujaku. So the thing that hit Noiz's cube must've been Beni.

The Beni-Shigure members are here too.

"Koujaku…"

"Aoba, how are you today? Still on delivery duty?" While saying that, Koujaku shoots a leering look Noiz's way. "Why are you here?"

"I have no reason to tell you."

"Rhyme, huh?"

"I have the same question. Why are you here, anyway? Braindead Rib players like you would die in an instant in Rhyme."

"Whaddya' say!?"

"Stop that." Koujaku holds back his overexcited teammate. "Don't act like a little brat here. You're going too far."

"But he is a brat."

"Don't get carried away."

"Whatever." Noiz responds back coldly look away.

"Just talking to you makes me hate Rhyme even more."

"Go ahead. No one cares about Rib anymore."

…This somehow took a turn for the worst. Their serious attitude spill into the crowd, and both Koujaku and Noiz's members begin to crowd together.

Rib vs Rhyme.

They stand across and scowl at each other, their patience almost drained dry. "Hey, you two need to…" I try to say something to stop them but Noiz voice cuts mine off.

"You know, your whole muscle and pride thing has been outdated for a while now."

"Fighting in your head isn't anything special. It's just your way of escaping the real world." Koujaku said.

"It's hard to get through the head of someone with no brain. No reason to keep on talking."

"Hey…" I tried speaking up once again, but Koujaku cuts me off this time.

"I don't want to hear that from some bean sprout with a big head."

"I'm not a bean sprout." Noiz said.

"Is that so? You look enough like one to me."

He's using that tone…Like when he came into my room and we began to argue. Noiz keeps his mouth shut, and Koujaku silently stares. "Aren't you 'Ruff Rabbit'? Mujina's Rhymer team? Looks like you made it all the way over here. You predict when and where rhyme stats: are you happy with the small pennies you make out of that?"

"It's business." Noiz said "There's a lot of people around here that want that sort of information. So we arrange a few things. We us our heads for different reasons than you."

Noiz and Koujaku glare at each other with a silent intensity.

"Looks like I'll just have to kick your ass in one shot."

"You're full of shit, but I'll let you eat those words. I'll beat you to a pulp."

The surrounding Ribsteez and Rhymers let out booming war cries. Before I knew it, I was able to see the Rhymers collected around Usui watch two people fighting. But more people began to turn our way.

More and more.

What's going to happen next…?

"I'll make sure that you can't open your mouth to make cheeky comments ever again."

"Yeah, right."

Koujaku keeps firing provocations at Noiz, who is just taking them with a small smirk: he tilts his head and snorts.

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

" **Noiz! Cut it out already! Just chill out!"**

" **They're the ones who need to chill out."**

 **.**

 **I force my way through to get to them, but a guy from the side swoops down on me.**

" **You're on the Rhyme side aren't you!?"**

" **Whoooa!"**

 **.**

" **You bastards! What're you doing!?"**

 **The booming voice hurts my ears, and all of the fighting suddenly comes to a dead stop. Everyone turns their heads.**

 **And then…**

 **Once we saw who yelled, we all started running away as fast as we could.**

 **Akushima…!**

 **.**

 **While making ourselves very noticeable, I start to feel that something is wrong when we get close to their turf. Dry Juice members would always hang around in this area, but there's no one here. Not a single person.**

 **.**

… **It's gone.**

 **The Dry Juice tag art on the wall…**

 **It's been painted out pitch black.**

 **.**

" **Morphine…!?"**


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Noiz! Cut it out already! Just chill out!" I called out to him.

"They're the ones who need to chill out." Noiz responded coldly.

"They're getting fired up over there!"

"We'll teach these old geezers what's what."

It looks like those two are fighting. And it even looks like they both don't want to miss this chance to be able to.

"Well then…Here I go!" Koujaku and Noiz clash, and both Rib and Rhyme players start fighting each other like it's a free-for-all. Since there are no rules, more people join in and it's a giant mess. The large alleyway fills with the sound of screams and roars, and the sound of fighting echos far and wide.

I have to at least stop Koujaku and Noiz…!

I force my way through to get to them, but a guy from the side swoops down on me.

"You're on the Rhyme side aren't you!?"

"Whoooa!"

He's about to hit me, and he looks like he's in for the kill. I reflexively aim for his defenseless neck and strike it with my hand.

"Ugh!"

His knees buckle in and he falls to the ground.

That was a close one…

It could've been bad if I wasn't paying attention.

"Uryah!"

And as soon as that came to mind…!

"!" The man is swinging his arm, with something sharp flying around; I soon realize that he has a knife in his hand. "Seriously, that's not fucking funny!" I get both his arms in a hold, and pull them downwards. As he staggers, I shove my knee into his chin.

"Guh!" He bends backwards and I kick the knife that fell from his hand: then I connect a light kick into his face. "Guh."

"Jeez…" I look for Koujaku and Noiz again. They're still battling, not a bit focused on what's going on around them. "Koujaku! Noi…"

"You bastards! What're you doing!?"

The booming voice hurts my ears, and all of the fighting suddenly comes to a dead stop. Everyone turns their heads.

And then…

Once we saw who yelled, we all started running away as fast as we could.

Akushima…!

The policemen all pull out their guns.

"What the hell's all of this noise!? Rhyme!? Rib!? Either way, you're all getting the DEATH PENALTY!"

"Aoba!" Against the stampede of people running in the opposite direction, Koujaku heads my way.

"Where's Noiz?" I asked.

"He ran away. We have to go too!" Koujaku grabs my arm and we start running.

"GET BACK HEEEEEEEREEEEEE!"

Akushima's loud yells could be heard even as we ran father away out of the alley.

Koujaku and I slow down and stop running once we realize that we don't hear the sound of any people after us anymore. We're both completely out of breath.

"…We should be fine if we're this far ahead." I manga to gasp out once I gotten my breath back.

"Yeah." Just to make sure, Koujaku turns around and checks behind us, and then he gives me an apologetic look. "…Sorry about this. I came to your place again but ended up just making a racket, I lost my cool… to that little shit back there." Koujaku's expression then turns serious. "Aoba. He's the guy who pulled you into that Drive-By Rhyme match, right?"

"…Ah…" His exact guess startles me. He came up with it just by looking at my reactions.

"So you knew already. I didn't think you would've."

"…Sorry."

"No, I'm not trying to put you down. But he's been following you around since that Drive-By, hasn't he? What happened?"

"…What should I say, uh-" There's no reason to hide it now. I decide to tell Koujaku the truth straight out. "When he dragged me into Rhyme, I didn't even know what to do. I've never done Rhyme before. At the end I sort of blanked out and I don't remember exactly what happened, but… he said I won."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I don't remember it at all either, and there's no way I could've. But he said that I won."

"So he's following you so he can get some payback, huh. He has no pride, that little shit." Koujaku said "In or out of Rhyme, if you lose, you lose. A real man accepts his defeats. And you even blacked out, didn't you? At this point he's just plain harassing you."

"I guess…" I mutter looking down at my feet.

"What? Are you worried about something?"

"…When I was in Rhyme, I heard someone's voice."

"What do you mean? Not that guy's?"

"I think it was someone else. It was more like her voice came from my head rather than outside it." I said "And then I started to give instructions to Ren. It was like I just instinctively knew how to fight."

"And you haven't done Rhyme ever, either." Koujaku said.

"Yeah." I nodded my head "But then why did I give instructions? I don't even know. And that's what bothers me…" I hang my head down because the conversation makes me feel uncomfortable, and Koujaku lightly grabs my shoulder.

"Don't think too hard about it. That's always been a bad habit of yours. Otherwise Ren tell you, 'Aoba, your thoughts look like they're about to burst out of you head.'"

"Okay…"

Koujaku's impression of Ren gets me to smile a bit.

"And being just suddenly dragged into Rhyme might've just confused you. But you can always tell me anything, just so you know."

"Yeah, thank you."

"Because Tae-san always makes the best food." Koujaku says with his usual smile.

"Because of that?" I said with a sweat-drop, but still made me laugh slightly.

"Haha."

I laugh together with Koujaku, and the gloom starts to fade a little bit. You always feel relieved when you talk to someone else. That's right…I'm not the best at it, but it's not good to calm up about things like this. If you do, it becomes something like a sickness.

"Oh yeah, want to go hit up the guys in Dry Juice?"

"Sure. I'm worried about Mizuki too…Ah!" I let out a gasp of surprise, startling Koujaku

"What's wrong?"

"I should be working! Haga-san is out so I have to go watch the store!"

"Hey, hey! Aren't you going to get in trouble?"

"I'll go call him." I call Haga-san on my Coil in a rush.

" _Hello, you've reached Junk Shop Heibon."_

"Haga-san!? I'm so sorry, I…!"

" _Oh, Aoba-chan, I was wondering what happened since you weren't at the shop… did something urgent come up?"_

"Well, I, uh…"

Noiz suddenly showed up to the shop and…he wouldn't understand me even if I said that, anyway. Not knowing how I could possibly explain it to him, I dodge the question and apologize profusely. He sounded a little bitter about it, but he forgave me.

" _It's okay for today. I'm here."_

"I'm so sorry about this…! I'll make sure to pay attention next time!"

" _I know you will. Well then, good work. Be safe."_

"Good work today!" I said and hang up "Haa…"

"Everything okay?" Koujaku asked me after hearing me sigh.

"I guess…" As much as Haga-san lets me off, I still didn't take care of my responsibilities as an adult… I'll apologize more later…

Dry Juice's turf is in the…East district, 'Yukisagi', where there's tons of alleyways filled with good food.

While making ourselves very noticeable, I start to feel that something is wrong when we get close to their turf. Dry Juice members would always hang around in this area, but there's no one here. Not a single person.

"It's like a ghost town." I said looking around.

"Do you think they moved to another place?" Koujaku asked.

"I didn't hear anything about that…" I feel a horrible premonition. I quicken my pace and hurry on my way. I go into the alleyway where they usually hang out. And of course, no one's there either. Koujaku stops and grabs onto my arm as I attempt to hurry through the entrance.

"…Hey."

"What…!?" I look to the same place Koujaku is, and I freeze up.

…It's gone.

The Dry Juice tag art on the wall…

It's been painted out pitch black.

"Why…?"

No way…were they defeated? But by whom? What team?

"Aoba, look at that."

On the wall, there's a different picture painted. It's not Dry Juice's.

Robot-like wings… and a halo around a heart. That tag belongs to…

"Morphine…!?"

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

 **That can't be…**

 **Morphine took out Dry Juice…!?**

 **.**

"… **Gh." I took off running like a madman "Hey! Is anyone here!? Hey!" While running, my shouts echo in the empty space.**

 **But no one answers me.**

 **.**

"… **Hey, this-" I look down see a familiar shade of red on the ground.**

" **What…!? This…blood!"**

 **.**

" **Hey, I was wondering who it was. Fancy meeting you here, Aoba-san."**

" **Yoohoo, Aoba!"**


	18. Chapter 17

**To cheshiregiggles thank you for your review and I'm happy to see that you are enjoying it so far! I hope you continue to like the story as it goes!**

 **Chapter 17**

That can't be…

Morphine took out Dry Juice…!?

"'Mysterious disappearances', my ass…"

Koujaku mutters something and my heart skips a beat. Yeah… their 'mysterious disappearances'. I thought they were just an urban legend.

…No, this might just be a prank or something. Dry Juice is the largest team in Rib. There might've been some people who didn't find it fun anymore, so they might have done this and fled. So they must be trying to blame it on Morphine to get away…

That's just a realistic if not more than them being abducted.

…Really. Is there really no one left here?

"…Gh." I took off running like a madman "Hey! Is anyone here!? Hey!" While running, my shouts echo in the empty space.

But no one answers me.

Shit…!

What's going on…!?

I go towards the other alleyway where Mizuki would always be. There would definitely be a bunch of members there with him.

"…!"

I enter the other alleyway…I saw it coming, but I still felt disappointed.

As I predicted, no one was there.

And in the inner part of the alleyway, the tag art of Rib's largest team was, of course, blacked out. What the hell is going on…? Mizuki would always lean on the wall, next to that tag. And whenever I come, he'd greet me with a smile…

Feeling as if everything important to me has been torn apart, I turn my head away from the horrible sight.

But I look right back.

"Aoba, there's no one on the other side either." Koujaku came running into the alleyway. "It's bad here too, huh."

"…Hey, this-" I look down see a familiar shade of red on the ground.

"What…!? This…blood!"

"It looks like it."

There are skid marks from shoes, and blood is scattered everywhere. It looks fresh. When I take a more careful look, there's evidence of trash being kicked around and fighting. The more I look, the more it seems likely.

'Mysterious disappearances.' Morphine's work.

People in Rib would always be fighting one another, but the worst they would do would be to beat up each other and scribble over their tag. This isn't one of those situations. This is obviously more than just a petty fight. It looks like the opposing team didn't even think of holding themselves back. They certainly got their message through…

"…" What…happened here?

It should be bustling with Dry Juice members. Everyone got along, and you could forget about your loneliness here. That's why I think people joined. You're not alone here. There'd be numbers of people you'd spend time with. Even if it was temporary, the bonds between the members were as tight as family.

For that…to come to this.

"Shit, I can't get through to Mizuki." Koujaku clicked his tongue while using his Coil. "What's going on? What kind of monster went through here? Is this Morphine's work?"

"Mizuki…" Reality hits me and I'm completely in shock. I can hear footsteps coming here from both the entrance and the exit at the same time. "!"

"Hey, I was wondering who it was. Fancy meeting you here, Aoba-san."

"Yoohoo, Aoba!"

"You guys…" The footsteps coming into the alleyway came from Virus and Trip. "Why're you guys here?"

"We're in charge of the area around here." Virus said.

"…Yakuza?" Koujaku glares at the two of them, murmuring curses under his breath.

Koujaku is in Rib, so seeing yakuza walk around like they owned the place isn't a pleasant sight to him. "Are you guy's twins? You look exactly alike."

"We are not twins."/ "We're not twins."

"Aoba, you're with these kind of people?"

"I'm not… Virus and Trip weren't yakuza when I first met them anyway. It was when you left the island, Koujaku, that I met them and hung around them since then."

"Yep. You could say that we're old friends." Virus said.

"Yeah, yeah, nothing to do with our work." Trip nodded his head.

"We always make sure that Aoba-san doesn't get drag into our business as much as we can. We don't want our friend to get hurt because of us."

"That's right. We make sure not to leave any trails."

"We're in a pretty violent business, but we're not breaking any rules. We do as much as our common sense allows: it's nice to meet you."

"…You're still yakuza. That's not good or bad. From the last bone and to the last drop of their blood, that's what they are and always will be." While Koujaku speaks, he looks at both Virus and Trip.

I was a little astonished too, to be honest; Koujaku's tone was so awfully angry and violent.

Does Koujaku really hate yakuza to that extent…?

Virus was silent for a few seconds before he started speaking "Although these are our words, both the yakuza and police have never really changed much on this island. Isn't that right? Aren't you that team's Head? I wonder how many policemen you had to make nice with."

"I'm not trying to say that all policemen are bad. Just that some are rotten in the barrel."

"Well, we'd like to thank you. As rotten yakuza." Virus smiled.

"Haha!" Trip laughed.

"…"

"By the way, isn't one of your friends in Dry Juice, Aoba? Have they moved off to somewhere else?" Virus asked me.

"We haven't seen any of their members yet." Trip added.

"They're all…gone." I said slowly looking at the stain blood.

"Gone?" Virus raised in eyebrow in surprise.

"We only just got here a little while ago, but Dry Juice's tag was painted out, and…Morphine's tag was drawn on it."

"Morphine…" Virus puts his hand to his lips in deep thought.

"You mean Morphine, that living fantasy team?" Trip asked.

"Yeah, I was thinking that maybe it was someone trying to frame Morphine for it, though…"

"All the same, that's quite barbaric. Taking out an entire team in one shot…how vicious." Virus said.

"…" Koujaku kept silent.

"Aren't you guys in charge of this area? Do you know anything?" I asked.

"That's true. What we know…" Virus begins to speak.

"It was difficult to make the rounds last night." Trip said.

"We couldn't find a single Dry Juice member."

"Around what time was that?" I asked.

"Around nine? Didn't it happen later anyway?" Trip answered.

"And they didn't kidnap just one member…but all of them. That isn't such a simple thing to do."

"I know that, so…" Isn't this exactly like when Morphine just disappeared on the map back then? I want to say that, but all that I mutter to myself stays in my mind.

"So that's it. Now I understand the situation a bit more. I'll contact you if anything happens on our side." Virus told me.

"Thanks."

"We're already used to these kinds of dangerous subjects. Be safe, Aoba-san."

"I don't know why the hell we're doing this, but we'll do what we can." Trip said.

"You should get your fucking noses out of Rib. What do you think you can do?"

"Koujaku…!" I looked at him in shock.

Koujaku is hardly the type to provoke someone, but Virus just heightens his eyebrows in amusement.

"You think we're parasites of this town, don't you? Our goal is to just hold our footing and build up our influence. Morphine or whatever is fine, but to dirty up our land is a bit of an unpleasant thing to do."

"Tch." Koujaku clicks his tongue at the cheerfully smiling Virus.

"Well then. We'll go check out the area and…Hm?" Virus paused at what he was saying.

"Hey, you all over there! What're up to!?"

We were exposed and policemen started to run after us in hordes. They're the ones who patrol this area.

"Don't move! If you do, I'll shoot!"

The policemen all point their guns at the same time.

"Well, we're in trouble." Koujaku said.

"Oh my, they're even more noisy today than ever. They're so full of energy." Virus mutters.

"Isn't this where we split up?" Trip asked.

"We're not too good at that either. Please escape, Aoba-san."

"Got it." I nodded my head.

"We'll all run in like a kamikaze attack. Then feel free to split up. Run on my signal. One, two…three!" Trip gives the signal, and we all start running.

"You fuckers!"

The policemen start firing. But they never found the effort to train every day, so not a bullet even scratched us.

"All-"

"-Right!"

"Whoa!? Y-You!"

Trip and Virus jump onto a policemen, and they all fall like dominos.

"See you later then, Aoba-san!"

"Bye bye!"

"Thanks!"

"Let's go, Aoba!"

"B-Bastards… Stay right there!"

Virus and Trip go to the right, and Koujaku and I run to the left as fast as we can.

Behind us I could hear the sound of gunshots and angry yelling, but as we ran from Yukisagi to Aoyagi I couldn't hear anything at all.

"Ha….Haaah, hah."

"Haaa…We're having an awfully bad day."

We really are…

I catch my breath and close my eyes, and my vision slowly becomes clearer. The Dry Juice tag painted out in black. The bloodstains scattered everywhere. Where did Mizuki go? I wonder if he's okay. Who did this? Maybe another team held a grudge against Dry Juice or something…

Maybe it was…Morphine?

"What the hell's going on?" I said in anger clenching my eyes shut.

"Aoba…"

A few moments pass and I boil over in vivid anger. No matter the reason, this is unforgivable. Going around doing things like this… "I'm definitely going to find the guys who did this." I growled.

"That's right. I'll go ask my team members if they saw anything." Koujaku said.

"I'm counting on you."

I don't know who or what Morphine is, but they've got to be the criminals. If Mizuki and the others are hurt when I catch Morphine…I won't go easy on them. I'll never forgive them for this. Koujaku leaves to go see his other team members, and I head over to Mizuki's shop.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

Hm? A message.

"…Spam?"

The subject says 'Please save me.'

The sender is 'Captive Princess.'

…Captive Princess?

I could've sworn I got a spam message earlier with the same name. Huh, it's the exact same thing again.

"And, delete." I said deleting the message.

 _Ring_

 _Ring_

Hm? Another message.

"…Huh?"

The same thing came again. I quickly delete it.

"…Huh?" I look at my message board in shock seeing the spam resending itself "Eh? Wait…" This looks bad… They just keep coming. What the hell? Confused, I open my bag and start Ren up.

"Aoba."

"Ren, these messages look like bad news. What virus is it?"

"Wait a moment. I'm investigating it now." Saying that, Ren goes silent. I wait impatiently as the messages keep coming in the whole time.

"Ren, are you done yet?"

"Analysis completed. There is no virus. And if it is indeed actually virus, it's had counter-measures installed."

"So you're saying it's impossible for you to stop these messages from coming in?"

"The sender's address is unidentified."

"The hell, are you serious!?" I said in disbelief.

"It would be better to check the contents." Ren advice.

"Is it gonna be all right…?" But I have a feeling these messages will never leave me alone. Even my ringtone is starting to tick me off… "I got it, jeez! If you want me to, I'll look already!" In an act of desperation, I tap the subject.

…Huh?

They stopped sending.

What did I do?

I feel uneasy, but read the text inside. There's nothing written. So was it really just spam after all…? My Coil rings again. But this time it isn't a message.

"It's a game being transmitted."

"A game being transmitted…Oh." Now that I think about it, there was that beta going on for that game before. This must be the next phase. When it finishes downloading, the Title Screen shows up on the monitor. It's the same title as last time.

"…Hm?" I'm ready to play, but there's no start button. How do you start this? A few moments later, the screen changes and the game suddenly starts up. Even when I try to work the controls on my Coil, nothing moves. "Ren, it's not working."

"Isn't it a demo?" Ren asked.

"A demo? What's the point of sending that out?" I keep trying to press the control keys, and the protagonist starts to move. Did I get it to work? Right as I think I did, I don't touch the controls but the character continues to move on its own. "…What is this?" I said after watching the game.

The game looks like it's only half done. So it really was just a demo. What's the point in sending this? Did they make a mistake? I don't get what it's about either…

"It looks exactly like one of those 'deep' games." I grumbled.

"I see."

"All those messages earlier were like spam too. A total waste of time. Let's just go home." I exit out of the game and Ren and I start to walk.

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

" **Ha…Haa, ha. Granny!" I unlock the door in a frenzy and jump into the house to find it pitch black. The lights aren't on. And it doesn't look like anyone's here. Granny…are you here?**

" **Granny?" I call for her one more time, but no one answers.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

As evening approaches, a light delicious smell begins to float through the streets. So it's dinner time. That reminds me, I wonder if Granny's home? Around this time of day, from time to time I go out with some people.

Granny…

"…"

…I wonder what it is.

Ever since I played that game, I've had a bad feeling that won't go away. In that game, Granny was stolen away by some black bats.

….

Why did that game get sent at such a weird time? Was it by accident? Just thinking about it make my chest hurt, so I try to call Granny from my Coil.

…It isn't going through. I'll try the home phone.

She's not picking up.

I'll try Granny's Coil one more time.

…She isn't picking up. But she never really used her Coil from the start. Instead of sending me a message, she'd leave a letter by the entryway. That's why she might've gone out knowing that I probably was out with some people.

Probably.

Definitely…

"…Damn it!" I try hard not to worry, but I keep thinking about the bloodstains scattered everywhere at the Dry Juice hangout. I think that's what's gotten me so nervous today. I'm thinking too much about not being able to reach Granny.

But…

…I can't do this. I'm going home. I'll feel better when I get home and see Granny safe and sound. I make up my mind, and run full-speed back home. "Ha…Haa, ha. Granny!" I unlock the door in a frenzy and jump into the house to find it pitch black. The lights aren't on. And it doesn't look like anyone's here. Granny…are you here?

"Granny?" I call for her one more time, but no one answers.

…This is bad.

It feels like I'm losing blood, I feel hot and cold at the same time. The bloodstains on the wall of the Dry Juice hangout. The Granny character that was kidnapped by black bats. Both of those images flicker in my head. What do I do? If Granny was…

"Granny!"

I need to search for her. I run up the hallway, not even thinking of taking off my shoes.

"-!? Whoa!" I suddenly tripped over something.

What?

What would be so huge that…

…What.

…A person?

…A person is lying in the hallway.

Could it be…

…Granny?

The person is lying face down and isn't moving. I quiver and catch my breath, and timidly get closer to them so I can see. The body is huge, nothing like Granny. It's probably a guy. I feel a little relieved. But…

Who is he?

I stare at him, and find a tattoo-looking thing on his neck. This…this is probably tag art. Besides…

"…Auh!" This tag… "…Morphine…!" I feel someone's presence and turn around.

In the dark hallway, I see a man standing there. He's so large that I have to look upwards, and his intimidating stature makes me unable to move a muscle. But the fear of him having done something to Granny is what scared me the most.

"…Where's Granny?"

"…" He doesn't answer. He stares at me with his cold eyes through the darkness.

"I said where is she…!?" When I draw closer to him, someone grabs my shoulders from behind. And it wasn't just one person. A bunch of people grab and hold me down. "Let me go! Fucking- Let go…! …Argh." Something heavy slams into my stomach, and I stop breathing.

"…"

"…Ngh." The giant man's fists that look like clumps of shadow sink into my gut. I start to fall forward.

I can't breathe.

My vision starts to fade into darkness.

Damn it…

Not here…

Granny…

…Granny…

* * *

 _Drip_

 _Drip_

"…Ugh."

…My head hurts…

I…Did I black out….?

I open my eyes, and all I can see are fuzzy shades of black. I can't tell left from right. I hear the sound of water dripping. Is it raining? I feel the cold concrete on my cheek.

Anyway, where am I…?

I try to stand up, but it's hard to move. I can't seem to move my body. "…!?" Something makes a squeaking noise on my arms. Something's binding them. I pathetically try to raise my head as I lie face down on the ground.

…And then I freeze in place.

I can see shoes that look like they have claws on them. Slowly, I look upwards to see what's above them.

"…" That intimidating look… It's probably that giant man. He just waltzed into my home, and then he punched me in the gut…

He looks at me and puts his pipe to his mouth. He breaths out a puff of smoke from his pipe and it floats through the air.

…Yeah. I remember. He took Granny…!

"…Where's Granny?"

"…"

"What did you do with her? Answer me!" I'm so angry I feel like I'm about to explode, and I quietly let out a growl. The man just watches me silently and then stands up from the sofa. As I wonder what he will do next, he looms over me and pulls me up by my bangs.

"! Ow…!" An intense pain runs through my hair and causes my expression to warp.

He ignores my pain and looks at my face. His eyes…They look like there's no light in them at all.

"Do you understand the situation you're in?" He pulls my hair to the side and makes me face another direction. I see two filthy men standing there with machine guns in hand. "With a snap of my fingers, they'll swarm like bees and it'll be all over for you. It'll only take 5 seconds."

"…" He takes my silence as understanding and lets go of my hair. "…Ow!" With a violent thud, my chin hits the concrete.

Ouch…I almost bit my tongue.

At any rate, I'm in a real bad situation…

"Hey." The man calls out to his little henchmen and whispers something to them.

They reply and leave.

I'm in a serious pinch, and desperately try to think of something.

Shit, I have to get these restraints off or else…I try rubbing my arms together as hard as I can. I feel them loosen a little, but they're not off just yet.

Is there anything by my feet?

I check around.

I feel the ground with my feet, but there's nothing there.

Shit…

I have to do something…

While in all sorts of pain everywhere in my body, the sound of many footsteps reverberate on the room's floor.

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

 **When I look at their faces, I see they have a bizarre look of excitement. Their breathing becomes erratic and their eyes are bloodshot.**

 **"Make sure to hold her down hard."**

 **"!" …I then understand what the look on their faces mean. Stone cold shivers run down my spine with goosebumps joining them. Hey, this has to be a joke…!**


	20. Chapter 19

**WARNING! This chapter has some mature scenes. You have been warned.**

 **Chapter 19**

A bunch of men holding machine guns come into the room.

"Do it." The giant man jerks his chin in my direction.

What…? What are all these people going to do?

I watch one of the men come closer to me, and I prepare myself for the worst.

There's nothing I can do.

They surround me as I sit there, pitifully unable to escape.

Ready for them to beat down on me at any moment, I tense up. Someone starts to pull on my jacket. And another pins down my legs and arms…

…?

What's going on?

When I look at their faces, I see they have a bizarre look of excitement. Their breathing becomes erratic and their eyes are bloodshot.

"Make sure to hold her down hard."

"!" …I then understand what the look on their faces mean. Stone cold shivers run down my spine with goosebumps joining them. Hey, this has to be a joke…!

"Let me go!" For a second I was able to loosen the grip. Little by little my restraints became weaker.

Just a little more…

Just a little…

…They're off!

"…!" I finally freed my arms, but immediately after, someone pinned them down again.

"Hey, what're doin'? I told you to hold her down."

"L-Let go!"

I see another group of men come up, as well as the giant man folding his arms while standing on the other side of the room. The giant man was watching me calmly, as if this was only an attraction of sorts.

That bastard…

"Hehe, don't hate us for this."

Already am!

"We can't go against Mink-san's orders."

Mink…?

It was only for a second, but the men surrounding me shuddered and their careless attitude had faded away. "I said, let me go! You're disgusting!"

"Shut the hell up!"

"!" I receive a blow to the side of my face. I can feel the pain and the taste of blood in my mouth.

"It's been a long time, since I fucked a girl." His rugged hand lifts up my shirt and bra and starts feeling up my chest.

"She has fair skin and long hair too. Doesn't she look like a doll?"

"Does it matter she's still a woman."

…That's right, I'm a girl here! You're making me want to throw up!

I decide to mess with them: I collect all the blood in my mouth and spit on one of the men closest to me.

"-! You little shit!"

"Get off! Don't touch me!"

"Ugh!"

I kick the distracted man in the stomach and he falls forward, groaning in pain.

Pathetic.

"…Erk…" Someone punches me twice as hard as my kick.

Shit…

"Hurry up and pull her down."

"Roger!"

"! Stop-Don't touch me!" One of them violently undoes my belt and unbuttons my shorts. Another hand from the side pulls on my clothes, and pulls up my shirt. "…Let go!"

"Shut up. Gag her!"

"Nfgh!" They stuff a ball of cloth into my mouth, and the dryness of it makes me feel nauseous. Even if I try to shout, my voice won't come out.

"Ah, holy shit. I'm getting hard."

"Just do it already so I can have my turn."

"I'm next!"

They disgustingly babble on as one of them pulls off my shorts and underwear. "Nmphghhhhh!" I shake my legs and try to resist, but the entire lower half of my body ends up being exposed. "…!"

"Just looking at her make me even more excited than before."

"Same for me."

"Anyway, don' you do it from behind or some shit?"

"Isn't it better to do a girl from behind?"

"Front or back it doesn't matter as long as their fuckable."

"Ugh…!" Dry hands go across my stomach and my thighs before going down up to my entrance, and then fingers presses into me. A feeling of absolute disgust courses through my entire body and nearly makes me go insane. More than feeling scared or anger…It just feels so disgusting!

Why did this have to happen…

I was just looking for Granny, that's all…

That giant man…

This is all because of him…!

He's still looking at me right now. He's watching them do this to me…Does he think this is fun?

Why? Why. Why.

Why…

Why does this have to happen…!?

 _BA-DUMP_

"Looks like she's suddenly calmed down."

"I guess she just gave up."

"Then go ahead already."

" **-** "

"Hey, is she okay?"

"…?"

"Hey…Hey, huh? What…"

" **-** … **-** … **-** "

"Wh-What? Somehow…"

"Ahhhh…"

 **"Disappear."**

….

…

Mn….

…What's that smell…? I've smelled it before somewhere. It was a spice…

Herbs?

Cinnamon?

I slowly open my eyes, and I see someone standing some distance away from me. That's…the giant man. What was his name, Mink…?

He…

What's he doing?

He casts his gaze down to the flame of a single lit candle. Is he saying something? I can't hear what it is. I wonder what he's saying…

What is…

He…

…

…

…Ow.

Owowowowow. My head hurts…

"…Ergh…" The sharp pain forces me awake and I open my eyes to see a worn out ceiling.

…Where is this?

What happened to me…?

…Right.

I was about to be raped…

…What happened after that? I'm still wearing all my clothes…At any rate; this room is most likely a different one than before. "Owowowow…" I have to take my pills…Wait, my bag. Where'd my bag go? Ren was in there too…

"!" I hear the sound of the door opening, jump up, and forget the pain for a moment.

Who is it? Mink?

"…So you're awake?" A skinny, lanky man peeks through the rusty iron door.

When the man sees me, he smiles and then he comes into the room.

Who is this guy…?

"How do you feel? It must've been traumatic to have people suddenly try and rape you. It was because no one can go against Mink. I can't even tell what's he's thinking."

"…"

The man comes into the room, alone. I glare at him and wave him away with my hand in a panic.

"I'm not going to do what Mink said, so don't look so afraid, okay? ….Aoba's your name, right?"

"! Who are you!?"

"Just like I thought. Aoba, from Junk Shop Heibon, right?"

"You know about Heibon?"

"Yeah. I used to go there to buy a lot of things a long time ago." He watches for my reaction and gives off a happy smile. In this situation, it's music to my ears to hear the shop's name. Since he was a customer, I almost want to be able to confide in him.

But I can't do that.

This guy is kind of weird. He's fidgeting and suspicious on top of that…

"It's so exciting to be able to meet you here."

"Y-Yeah. Right." I said unsurely

"Really? When I heard you were caught, I thought of something really good. I thought that we should get out of here."

"…Are you serious?"

"Well of course! Isn't it a good idea?"

"But…Aren't Mink's people all around here?" I asked.

"It's fine, it's fine. I'll do something about it."

"You'll do something about it…What exactly would you do?"

"I said it'll be fine." He repeated himself.

"So then, how?"

"…You just can't stay quiet, can you?" He mutters "I said that it'd be fine, didn't I?"

"!" Hanging onto me, the man's face suddenly changes and he pulls out a gun. His eyes widen and his mouth curls into a grin.

"Hey, it'll be fine. I'll get you out of here, so, please let me hear your voice more, okay?"

"My voice…?"

Why would he want to hear my voice? Isn't he already listening to it?

"Yeah. You're the one who always answers for Heibon on the phone. I found your voice so mesmerizing from the first time I heard it, you know? I would always call just so I could hear your voice."

"…" So he only came to the shop for that…There were so many other people who called the shop for the same reason too. So he's just one of them.

"So make sure to let me hear even more of your many voices. I want to hear them. Okay?" He loads his gun, and gets on his knees onto the bed. He pushes the gun to me, as if to gesture that I should lie down. "Don't move! If you try to escape I'll shoot."

"...Ng…"

"Whatever's fine, it's not too demanding. I just want to hear your voice." He raises his voice and pants loudly, and then begins to touch my face.

Disgusting…!

Besides, why does he have to keep looking into my eyes…!?

Ow…

My head…

Shit…

Why does it have to start up again now!?

"!"

"…Eek!" The door to the room flies open, and the man turns around, facing turning pale as a ghost, dropping his gun.

The one standing there was…Mink.

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

 **I can hear the sound of each bone breaking one by one, and the mans' face is effortlessly crushed. The man begins to shake, eyes wide open, and convulses violently. A puddle of blood pools around his mouth, and little clumps of white, like rice, guzzle out.** **  
**

 **His teeth were all broken.**

 **With just one attack, he was knocked unconscious. I was struck, unable to speak. Soon all of the surrounding spectators' eyes were on me. Not the man Mink just broke, but me. All of them have broad grins on their faces.**

 **…This gives me an awful feeling. They're not saying that I'm next, right?**


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"…What are you doing?"

"F-Forgive me!"

Mink comes inside and grabs the jumbled man by the collar.

"Eeek! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Get your ass over here."

"Eh? Ow…!" Mink grabs me by the arm and drags me off of the bed. Mink drags me and the man out of the room. The rest of the members in the hallway are all staring at us.

We go through an open door at the end of the hallway, and enter the room I was taken to the first time.

Even more members followed us in, adding to the ones already in the room, and it went dead silent inside.

"!" Mink violently thrashes my arm away, grabs the guy by the neck and throws him down to the ground.

"! Mi-Mink-san, forgive me- forgive me…!" The man, his face completely pale, looks up to Mink and then falls back on his butt and crawls away.

"Is it time for his punishment?" A man with short light green hair says.

"Guess so. But what'd he do?" A man with tan skin asked.

"Who knows? Must've been something really bad. Mink-san is pissed."

"And that one over there, isn't that girl he brought gonna get it too?"

"Don't think so."

The surrounding men sit on the floor and stare at us while whispering amongst themselves.

Punishment…?

That can't mean anything good.

"Eek! Forgive me, please have mercy!" Mink stares at the begging man, emotionless. He then grabs him by the collar without a word. "Ugh!"

I can hear the sound of each bone breaking one by one, and the mans' face is effortlessly crushed. The man begins to shake, eyes wide open, and convulses violently. A puddle of blood pools around his mouth, and little clumps of white, like rice, guzzle out.

His teeth were all broken.

With just one attack, he was knocked unconscious. I was struck, unable to speak. Soon all of the surrounding spectators' eyes were on me. Not the man Mink just broke, but me. All of them have broad grins on their faces.

…This gives me an awful feeling.

They're not saying that I'm next, right?

Me being raped or beaten to a pulp isn't funny…!

"…Nng…" As if to deliver the final blow, my head starts to hurt immensely.

…Shit! I don't have my bag or my pills, and I'll be caught if I even try to run away in this situation…

…This is the worst case scenario.

Mink takes one step forward towards me.

"Don't fuck with me…Go away!" I try to fall back, but Mink takes long strides and closes the distance. The pool of blood around the man reflects in my eyes. I don't want to become like that…I tense up right away.

…But.

"…?"

"You over here."

Instead of the impact I was bracing for, Mink grabs my arm and begins to walk out. We head towards the door we came through earlier.

"…She's not getting punished? Are you serious?"

"Ha? Why? Wasn't that girl our target?"

"What the fuck…she looked like such a good one to do, too."

As we pass by, Mink yells at the members to move out of the way. He took me to the room where people receive 'Punishment', so of course they thought I was next.

I thought so too.

Everyone around us is talking, and Mink can hear them, but he doesn't make any responses.

What is it now…?

I get a very bad feeling as Mink pulls me out of the room.

Mink faces me outside the room where I woke up just a while ago.

"Let me go…!"

He enters the room and I shake my hands around to try to loosen his grip. He lets go of me and sits on the bed. I look into his eyes, unable to figure out what he's thinking. I feel intimidated for a second, but I return his gaze with a scowl. He's the type of guy who could change in an instant and start hitting you all of a sudden. That's him.

I felt like I was investigating my overly calm opponent. What he's thinking, what kind of person he is…I'm searching for that in him. Just like prey looking into the eyes of the predator. That's why I can't show any weakness to him. That's what I thought.

"…What's your goal here? Why did you take me here? Where's Granny?" I demanded.

"…"

"Why did you beat him down back there? Wasn't he just following the orders from you to attack me in the first place? Why?"

"He was different. I said no one could enter that room. That was his punishment for disobeying."

"Different…" I said before glaring at him "It doesn't make a difference to me. What are you going to do with me? Do you want to see me raped?"

"…Your most prominent trait is a lack of self-awareness." He said.

"…Huh?"

"I'll only say this one more time. I didn't beat that guy because he went in the room. It was because he did it without asking permission. He was seduced by your voice."

"…My voice?" I want to say that he didn't even know what he was talking about, but instead I swallow my words. That man had some clear attachment to my voice.

…But why does Mink know?

"I wondered why he would dare to disobey my orders in the first place. I don't allow that. Those are the rules here."

"…" The more this conversation goes on, the less I understand. "Why do you know…about how my voice sounds?"

"…"

"Answer me. Tell me what happened to Granny."

"I don't know. You were my primary objective." He said.

"Wha…?"

His primary objective?

Then what about her?

My vision blanks out and Minks pulls something from his breast pocket and waves it around. "It's this."

"!" In Mink's hand is my medicine. I immediately reach out for it, but he quickly pulls away. "Give it!"

"Answer my question."

"It's just medicine for my headaches!"

"Seems like you're not the kind of girl who gives convincing answers."

"Granny is a pharmacist…And I don't know anything else." I told him with a glare.

"You're just like a junkie."

"Huh…?"

Mink puts it back in his breast pocket and stands up from the bed. He opens the door, and in the hallway there are people talking. Two men come into the room shortly after. They're dragging something along, and they drop it off in the room.

…They dropped off a person.

They're two men dressed in black clothes, face down on the floor. I take a better look at them, and can tell that they're faintly breathing.

"Look at their necks." Mink instructed me.

Necks…?

I examine the necks of the two men writhing on the floor. "!" It's Morphine's tag art…

And even…Their previous tags have been painted out?

A different pattern barely shows through.

This is…

This must be my imagination.

"Dry Juice…" One of the men rolls over on his side and I can see his face.

…I know him.

This guy's from Dry Juice.

"It seems they came to your house before we did. Everyone else was already gone and these were the only two left." Mink said "So now you know. We have nothing to do with your grandmother."

"But she's…"

"I don't know. We're tracking down the other members right now."

"Really? Then…"

"Before that, we need to come to an agreement here. I already told you earlier that you were my objective."

"…"

"I took you here because I needed to be sure about something. I had the general gist of it. You're going to do whatever I tell you to do. Once you agree, I'll help you with this stupid-ass job."

"My job…?"

"I'm saying I'll help you search for your grandmother."

"!" I find it hard to believe that he actually said that. He might've just set this whole thing up. He made me go through something awful: there's no way I could believe this.

But even if he was lying, there's no explanation why Morphine…why this happened to Dry Juice.

Why the tag art was painted over…

There's no way he could've conjured that up in such a short time.

"If you don't believe me then you can go search for her by yourself. Go ahead."

"…" It's frustrating, but I can't think of any way to find her by myself. And if her disappearance had to do with Morphine, I'd just be grasping at straws. "You said that I'm what you want, but why?"

"There's no reason to tell you now. Just hurry up and decide if you'll accept my conditions."

I don't want to have to do whatever he says. But… "…"

"…Tch." I hesitate and Mink takes advantage of it by grabbing me by the collar. "Don't waste your time sitting around like a useless piece of shit. Are you okay with whatever happens to your grandmother?"

"…I'm…not."

"Then cough up an answer. Don't take fucking forever."

"...Aug…"

"We're leaving soon. Get ready."

Mink shoves me back and then throws the case of medicine for my headaches. I pick it up from the ground, still shaken.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Mink leaves the room, and as if to switch places with him, a colorful cockatoo comes in. He leaves something near my legs.

…Oh. My bag!

"It's your stuff. Take it." The cockatoo flaps his wings and speak to me in a dandy voice.

Of course, it's an Allmate, not a real bird.

I've seen this bird somewhere before. I'm pretty sure he was resting on Mink's shoulder…

"Are you Mink's Allmate?"

"I am." He replies and flaps his wings again before quickly leaving through the door.

That's Mink's….

I think over the strangeness of the situation and then pick up my bag. I unzip it a little to check to see if everything's in there. Inside is a ball of dark blue fur and my Coil.

"…Ren."

He didn't break, right…?

I hold him up and put him lightly to my face, which starts him up.

"…Aoba."

"Thank goodness…" I see Ren open his eyes and I let out a sigh of relief. "Are you okay? Any problems anywhere?"

"No."

"I see. I'll examine you later just to make sure."

While I pet Ren's head, I put my Coil back onto my arm. When I took at the screen, I see an icon flash repeatedly, indicating unread messages.

"Whoa…" My log starts to fill up with received messages like raging waves. There were miss calls from both Virus and Trip but most of them are all from Koujaku. I redial him, flustered.

 _"Aoba!?"_ Koujaku immediately picks up on the first ring.

"Yeah."

 _"You…Where have you been!?"_

"Sorry."

 _"I was so worried, you weren't picking up at all!"_

"Some things happened…But I'm going home now, so we'll talk later."

 _"Got it. I'm at Heibon right now, so go there."_

"Okay."

After talking to Koujaku I quickly contact Virus. Like Koujaku, Virus pick up immediately.

 _"Aoba-san, are you all right?"_

"Yeah, I'm fine."

 _"That's good. Where are you right now?"_ Though Virus voice sounds calm I can faintly hear the relief in his voice.

"Well…I'm heading back down to Heibon to meet up with Koujaku since he was worried."

 _"Got it, we'll meet you there."_

"All right."

Hearing Koujaku and Virus's voice bounced me back to reality in an instant. With Dry Juice and Granny gone and even being dragged here… Outrageous things keep happening one after the other, and by now I'm feeling numb to it.

But this is reality.

And they'll keep happening.

…I should go.

I took some of my meds for my headaches, picked up my bag, and left the room.

From the outside view, I realized that the building I was taken to was in the North District. I leave the building and face the direction of the East District.

I don't know how much time I spent in that gloomy building, but the sun was high up in the sky as I left. Mink traveled through back streets rather than the main ones. It seems like he doesn't want to be seen by too many people.

For a person like him, there might be a reason he doesn't want to be seen…

The headaches calmed down considerably, but I'm not in top shape and walk slowly. A distance starts to open up between Mink and I. We turn a bunch of corners, and I find myself about to lose sight of the back I'm supposed to follow.

"Hey, wait…!" I turn a corner to get catch up to Mink and…Surprise. Right as I turn the corner, I find Mink standing there, staring down at me.

Mink immediately averts his gaze and walks away.

I walked the rest of the way without a word, and eventually my surroundings changed. A little farther and I'll be at Heibon. Just the thought of being back warmed my heart with a feeling of extreme nostalgia.

When I see Heibon's sign, a shadow suddenly jumps at me from above.

"Master-!"

"C-Clear!?"

The one who was calling to me…was Clear.

Clear fell face first to the ground, but he stood up, upbeat as usual, and clung to me. "Master! I'm so glad! Were you taken away somewhere!?"

"Ah…No."

"As long as you're safe! Last night I heard your voice from far away, and I got worried!"

"My voice?"

"Yes!"

Last night…

That's when I was taken to that building by Mink…

"Did you really hear me?"

There's no way he could.

"Yes, I did! No matter the circumstances, I could never mistake Master's voice for anyone else's!" Clear responded.

"…Haha, I see. Thanks for that, then." I chuckled nervously.

"Huh?" Clear tilts his head and stares at me: then he pulls on my face again. "But you're a lot more relaxed now…I wonder why? Out of all the people, I wouldn't have imagined Master to be like that."

"Gah! You-!" I take a step back and escape from his fingers. Then I notice that Mink is watching us.

"…"

"…ah…" I have an idea of what Mink is thinking now…Pretty much.

How awkward…

"Now, please come inside, Master."

* * *

"…Aoba!"

"Aoba-chan!"

"Aoba-san."

"Aoba."

We go inside Heibon, and both Haga-san and Koujaku leap up, all color drained from their faces. While Virus and Trip looked calm but happy to see that I was fine.

"Are you okay?" Koujaku immediately asked.

"Sort of." I said.

"That's good to hear." Haga-san sighs in relief.

"Hey, is that dog okay too?" Beni asked.

"I'm here." Ren's head pops out of my bag and looks up to Beni, who is perched on Koujaku.

"This gas mask guy came over to me and said you were kidnapped!" Koujaku said. "I didn't believe it at first, but I couldn't get in contact with you! And when I tried to ask Tae-san, I couldn't reach her either! So I went to your little buddies over here and asked if they knew anything." Koujaku glared at Virus and Trip.

Virus, ignoring Koujaku, began to speak "When we heard from him that he couldn't get in contact with either you or your grandmother and said that a gas mask guy told him that you were kidnapped. We immediately try to track you down."

"Yeah, we thought that someone knew your connection towards us and wanted a little revenge." Trip said.

"Imagine our surprise when we couldn't track down your Coil, but this guy could explain why we couldn't." Virus looked over at Mink, making Koujaku to look behind me, clearly scowling.

"Hey, that guy…"

"Ah, um-" I try to think of some way to tell them, who he was but Koujaku cut me off.

"You bastard…You're Scratch's Head, aren't you!"

Scratch?

Isn't that the name of a Rib team made up of prisoners?

"…Huh?"

"You never notice, Aoba-san?"

"No…I never saw their tag art." I shook my head.

"…Hmph." Mink finds my stupidity amusing and snorts.

That building was so dark and dirty that I couldn't see a thing, either…I think I remember seeing some kind of tag art there…

Based off of appearances, you could say that Scratch is just a Rib team, but in actuality it's a gang of prisoners.

In short, it's a group of violent prison escapees.

The police don't do anything, and no one wants to mess with them either.

…So that was it. And those 'punishments', too… Banding a mass of prisoners together isn't the easiest thing to do. You'd have to have serious authority in a lawless place. Even so, there's still discipline in the team.

"Shit, a newcomer?" Beni glares at the cockatoo with intensity.

It doesn't make an eye contact, showing that it doesn't care in the slightest.

"What a lovely cockatoo." Haga-san said.

"It is. It's a beautiful cockatoo." Clear agreed.

"Heh, don't be fooled. He's a bitch, I can tell!" Beni glared.

"You're quite a noisy fellow. How about you replace that habit of bantering with singing instead?"

"-You! Don't you mess with me!" Beni's feathers fluff out. Like a real bird, his hostility is clearly visible.

"This is just great. Running into some low-life scum. Go back to your cell like a good little boy." Koujaku said.

"You clearly don't think before you speak."

"Whaddya say? Why are you with Aoba? What are you trying to do here? She's got no money."

"It has nothing to do with you."

"Huh? Are you trying to start something?"

The tension between Mink and Koujaku seems pretty dangerous…

"My my…" Virus raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Ko-Koujaku-kun, calm down." Haga-san said to him also feeling the tension between the two.

"Okay, let's just go inside. This is the entrance anyway." I said jumping in between the two to try stop a fight that was about to occur.

"…Tch." Koujaku glares at Mink and clicks his tongues. Mink's expression doesn't really change, but he keeps looking at Koujaku. They were a lot more considerate earlier before…I feel a sudden wave of tiredness as we all enter the shop.

In the storehouse in Heibon's basement, we start a makeshift meeting held around a table, sitting on the sofas.

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

This really isn't the time…

While we waste our time, Granny could be in even more danger for all we know…

More and more as time goes on…

These guys…

Are seriously…

 **"…You guys, cut this shit out already!"**


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Haga-san seems like he's choosing the smart way to do things: he shows us down here and goes back upstairs to the shop. Koujaku, Clear, Mink, Virus, Trip and I sit down on a sofa.

"…So, let's continue off where we were. What happened to Tae-san? She isn't responding at all. Just like you sometimes." Koujaku began to speak "We know Tae-san hates Coils. So that might just be the issue here."

"That's…" I hesitate to speak, and Koujaku flashes a frown.

"What happened?"

"…She was taken."

"By who!?"

"Morphine."

Koujaku laughs scornfully at Mink's words. "Hah? Hey now, don't try to pull my leg here. Morphine? The ones who mysteriously disappeared? Tae-san doesn't do Rib, you know that right?"

"…Koujaku, I saw it. Morphine's tag."

"…Are you serious?"

When I came home and Granny wasn't there, when I met Mink…And when I shortly spoke with a member of Morphine…No, Dry Juice. Coming back to the topic of Mink kidnapping me would only fan the flames, so I left it alone.

Koujaku listened with much seriousness, let out a small sigh, and leaned back on his chair. "It's unbelievable. Maybe 'Morphine' might just be some guys trying to trick you?" Koujaku glares Mink's way with obvious hostility. "So those guys are the culprits."

"If you don't believe it, then you don't have to push yourself to join in." Mink spoke.

"Oh? Why do you feel the need to say that, you prick? You haven't come up with jack shit here."

"You're not the one who decides that, she does." Mink points to me with his pipe. "In exchange for helping with the search for her grandmother, she accepted my conditions. That's what we agreed on."

"Conditions?" Virus narrowed his eyes at Mink. "Tell me, what do you mean she accepted your conditions?"

Mink just gives Virus a cold stare, "I have no obligation to tell you, I'm just here to point out where her general location is. And to pursue the members of the team who abducted her, and relay that information."

"That so?"

"If you don't believe that either, do whatever you want."

"I would watch what you say around me, scum."

"I'll say what I want."

"Heeh…" Trip let out a low laugh obviously amused at what's going on.

"…Aoba." Koujaku looks at me, while Virus and Mink had a stare down.

What's with his eyes?

It's as if they're asking me questions.

I…I already decided on this. I can understand Koujaku's anxieties and doubts all too well. It's not like I trust Mink in the least either. But no one else knows where Granny could be. I don't know if blindly searching would work at all.

All I can do…is take a bet on him.

"…Koujaku, I want to save Granny. I can't think of any other way."

"…"

"Please help me with this."

"Aoba…" Koujaku's anger gradually fades from his face, and his eyes gain a spark to them. "…I got it. That's all you have to say. I'm not sold, but I just have to trust you."

"Thanks." I smiled.

"I don't mind if it's for you." Koujaku once again scowls at Mink.

Mink breaths out a puff of white smoke, and looks to the staircase.

"…?" At first I thought he was trying to rile up Koujaku by ignoring him…but he looks like he's observing something instead.

Is something there?

"Hey." Mink turns his chin to his cockatoo.

The cockatoo flaps its wings and goes out the door to the first floor. I hear clattering, and he's brought something back with him.

"P!"

"Hmm, now what is this?" Virus questions.

"What the?" Koujaku said.

"A block?" Clear asked.

"This…" The cockatoo brought back a cube. Wait, this looks familiar… "Noiz. It's him again."

"What bad manners." Mink said.

"Again? Does he eavesdrop as a hobby?" Koujaku mutters.

"So this is what I heard at the door earlier." Clear said.

"You know him Aoba?" Trip asked.

"Sort of."

"An acquaintance?" Mink asked me.

"I guess you sort of could call him that."

"The information gathering type, huh. Well, it looks as if that's what this thing is for." Mink holds up my arm as high as his ears. "Call him up here."

"Huh?"

"Use the same tone of voice you use at the shop."

"How would I call him!?"

"Any guy with a decent brain can take advantage of things a strategy to play cards is a good idea."

"Hey, what are you telling her?" Koujaku turns his attention over here, and Mink lets go of me.

Most likely…Mink is talking about my voice. Even if you tell me that…The callers? Is it really okay to just use the tone I use with customers…? I look at the cube the cockatoo retrieved, and take a deep breath.

Honestly, both Mink and Noiz give me bad feelings that I can't really describe…But it's to save Granny. I have to do it. I'll speak how I usually do to customers, but change my tone of voice a bit.

"….Noiz, you're there, right? Are you listening?"

"…"

"Some stuff happened, and it's serious. Honestly, it might not be enough with only us. So…would you lend me a hand until it's over? I'll do whatever you want."

"Aoba!?"

"…So please. Please help me."

* * *

…I don't know how convincing that was, but a few minutes pass. Noiz showed up at Heibon.

Virus, Trip, Koujaku, Clear, Mink, and Noiz were all here.

All of these random people just lining up…It's sort of an achievement.

Noiz coming here made Koujaku even more unpleasant, but it can't be helped anymore. And even after the situation from before, I still spoke bluntly.

"Isn't Dry Juice the number one Rib team?" Noiz asked.

"Yeah." I nodded my head.

"So a lot of people are in it. So that means there's crew all around this entire island."

"I guess so…"

"My team members have been searching too, but they're not coming up with anything." Koujaku said.

"I also searched from the rooftop, but did not find anything." Clear added in.

"We haven't had much luck on our side either." Virus said.

"They must be in some isolated place." Noiz said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The kind of place nobody's allowed to enter so no one comes by on accident."

"That's right. An information gathering lunatic would know." Mink agreed.

"I'm not a lunatic."

Mink takes a slow whiff from his pipe. "Your grandmother has been taken to the Keisen, in the North."

"Keisen…"

"Actually, there are unused warehouses up there." Koujaku said.

"Investigate it." Mink points his pipe to Noiz.

"I don't remember taking orders from you."

"Think of it as an exchange. We both want some things sorted out, don't we?"

"…Tch." Noiz clicks his tongue angrily, pulls out the monitor and keyboard from his Coil, and begins the operation.

"…Anyway, why do you get to call the shots?" Koujaku asked angrily.

"Fine, you go ahead and take the initiative."

"Huh!?" Koujaku bends forward, not quite satisfied with the answer. Mink's Allmate stops cleaning its self and raises its head.

"I think you shouldn't waste your energy yelling like that."

"'Ey you, shaddap!" Beni glares at the cockatoo from Koujaku's shoulder, feathers flared up.

"Allmates really are just like their owners."

"What'dya say!? You bastard!"

"Both of you shut up." Noiz interrupts the Allmate's fight and turns his monitor over for us to see. On it is a map of the Old Resident District with a red arrow pointing to a spot. "This is where Keisen is. When I tried to access their network I got an error. If it was a normal, off-limits area, there wouldn't have been a network in the first place. This place's data has a blank error screen. In short, it's a fake. It's trying to emulate a disfunction network."

"So we were right." Koujaku says.

"I guess. There used to be a lot of treatment plans built here."

"But they all closed down and became off-limits a few years ago." I told them.

"And it's still used as a dump, an illegal one at that. No one's ever cracked down on it." Koujaku said.

"Granny's there…"

"I've received some reports on roughly where she is." Mink said.

There's no concrete proof that she's here. But it's worth it to take that chance.

"Seeing how the area is off-limits there is a high changes that Tae-san's kidnappers are there." Virus said. "Either way we have no idea what this place is like."

"Oh, if that's it, then I know that place quite well." Clear finally speaks up.

"…This isn't a time to joke around." Koujaku says.

"I know. I really do know this area I used to take walks in this area a long time ago."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Eh? What is it? Why did everyone suddenly go quiet? Do you doubt me? Please don't do that! I really do know! I can draw you a map if you want me to!" Clear is unhappy with our reactions, and takes out a piece of paper and pen from his coat pocket. "Annnnddd…Here." Clear glides the pen across the paper without a single pause. "…Done! I'm finished!"

"Hey, hey. Are you serious about this map?" Koujaku asked uncertainly.

"Is it even accurate?" Trip raised an eyebrow at the drawing.

"Compare it." Mink takes the map from Clear and brings it to Noiz.

"…It matches up."

"So it really is right." Koujaku said.

"Didn't I say so before? You're all so mean!"

"…Well, with this we won't get lost. Let's follow it." I said.

"Follow…This mask guy?" Koujaku looks at the rest of us with a reluctant face. "All he does is weird crap…Why should we?"

"You have no right to say that about someone else." Noiz said nonchalantly.

"Shut up."

"I don't have the intention of getting buddy-buddy with you all. I'm just doing it the easy way. It's more efficient."

"Then we should just all split up."

"It's better that way. Even if we lay out a detailed plan, there's no guarantee that everyone will follow it exactly. Especially the masked guy here." Mink said.

"That's what I've been saying!" Koujaku said.

"I was talking about you and gas mask over there."

"What was that!?"

"Eh, me? That's awful! I wanted to be friends with all of you too!" Clear said.

"Keep your jokes to yourself." Noiz said.

"You're not very smart if you think we'll be friends with anyone here." Virus said.

"Yeah we have better things to do."

"Ehhhh?"

"Shut up you damn twins!"

"We are not twins"/ "We're not twins."

…This is impossible. I thought it would be, and I was right. No one is cooperating. If they could at least look like they could work together…

"Hey, gas mask guy. Don't butt into our complicated conversation, and shut up!"

"You should do the same thing."

"No way! So mean! It's not complicated at all!"

While I'm sitting here at my wit's end, these guys just keep going on and on like little kids.

This really isn't the time…

While we waste our time, Granny could be in even more danger for all we know…

More and more as time goes on…

These guys…

Are seriously…

 **"…You guys, cut this shit out already!"**


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

…With no patience left, I yell at them. Even if I do that, they won't listen to me anyway.

…Well, that's what I thought.

"…H-Huh?"

They suddenly all stopped their banter.

"My oh my…"

"Well well…"

While Trip and Virus had a smile on their faces as if they know what's going on, I on the other hand stood there confused.

"Eh…Why did…?"

"It's just like what Aoba said. We need to stop this." Koujaku said in his usual calm voice.

"It was useless to waste our time with this in the first place." Noiz said.

"Anyway, let's go." Mink sigh.

"That's right. Let's go."

Everyone's mind changes with the flip of a switch, and they all stand up from the sofa. I don't know how exactly, but it seems they all came to a mutual understanding…

…Well, whatever. It turned out all right in the end.

"…All right. Let's go." I pull myself together and get up from the sofa.

Granny…I'll definitely save you. Mizuki and the rest of Dry Juice too.

We leave Heibon and head towards the North District.

The North District's Keisen was like a ghost town, completely in ruins. More and more large warehouses were being built, but they were all labeled 'No Trespassing', so this area became a place to illegally dump trash. As if to deck out the empty buildings, people would throw their old furniture and anything else really, into them.

Of course nobody was there, and it gave off an eerie atmosphere. While being very careful, we follow Clear's lead. There are mountains of trash here, and it leads me to remember something.

"It…looks like the place from the game!"

"Game?" Trip looks at me.

"That game that I got sent! But it wasn't a game, just a demo movie. Some guys took out Granny and kidnapped her. And they took her to where there were trash heaps!"

"This place certainly is a dump." Clear said.

"It's just a coincidence." Koujaku said.

"I thought so too, but it's still strange."

"Isn't there a treatment center around here?" Noiz pulls up a map on his Coil and shows it to everyone.

"So there is." Clear said.

"It's the tallest standing building in the area." Noiz said.

"That sounds very suspicious." Virus puts a hand under his chin narrowing his eyes.

"I'll go there immediately." Clear quickly walks in the building's direction.

He did say that he used to take walks here, but he's a weird one, isn't he…

We walk along a trash ridden path and see a giant building. This must be it.

"…Please wait." Clear puts his arm out to stop us.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I can hear it. Right now. In there."

"Hear it… I don't hear anything." Koujaku said.

I listen carefully, but all I can hear is the rustling of trash. But it doesn't seem like Clear is messing around.

"I hear them. They're in there."

"…Let's go." Making sure we breathe quietly, we start to advance towards the plant. Clinging to the walls, I can hear the faint sound of people inside. It's just like Clear said. People are in here. Even more than we thought…

I touch the bag under my arm.

Ren is in Sleep Mode.

I see Ren's face in my open bag.

While he sleeps, he gives off the impression of being completely useless.

This is where the 'No Trespassing' signs start. Just to make sure signal doesn't come off from an Allmate, everyone keeps theirs turned off. I pet his fur a bit, and then close my bag up. I see a door slightly opened that looks like a back entrance along the wall.

Koujaku peeks into it cautiously. "…Is anyone in here?"

"We're all going in." Mink said.

"As far as it goes, we should wait for the right chance to get near those guys. We don't know what's in there."

We decide that Koujaku, Mink, Clear, Trip and I will go inside. Virus and Noiz will be on the sidelines, acting as network surveillance and erasing real-time history of us being there.

Noiz stands back a bit and has his keyboard and monitor connected to his Coil. He begins the operation. "There's no problem on my side."

"Same with mine."

I approach Noiz and take a look at his hands. He doesn't take a single look away from the monitor, and keeps typing.

"…What?"

"…Nothing, I was just wondering how you were doing."

"So you don't trust me?"

"It's not that. I'm just nervous…Sorry for bothering you when you're so focused."

"I'm not gonna screw up, so whatever. Don't blow it when we're out there."

"…I know."

"Do you?"

…How uncute.

But it was my fault for interrupting him in the first place.

"Aoba-san, don't worry so much. We have things covered over here."

"Okay…" I slowly nodded my head and went back to the others.

"Isn't this exciting?" Clear said in excitement.

"It sounds like you think this is a game." I said.

"…Let's go."

On Mink's signal, Koujaku opens the door. There was a crowd of black-clothed people in a room that was otherwise empty. Are these guys…part of Morphine?

All of them turn around to see us.

…Then they all run full-speed towards us.

"! They're coming!" I yelled.

"Don't go over there! Hey! Come over here!"

"…"

"All right."

"Waaaaaah!"

Koujaku, Trip and Mink head forward first and cut through the crowd. I follow, with the indecisive Clear close behind.

"Koujaku-san!"

I hear footsteps behind us. It's the Beni-Shigure group.

"Uryah!" Koujaku exchanges looks with his members and knocks down the black-clothes people one by one.

"Haha, is that all you got?" Trip laughs send two men flying.

Mink silently fights them with his fists, taking two, even three members down at once.

"There!...!" I go to get some black-clothed guys as well, but I can't avoid one of them and an elbow hits my chin. "Owowow… Uwah, you little-!" He immediately pulls his fists back for another hit, but I stop him with my arm. But then he starts to rapidly pound with his other fist. "You're- So persistent…!" I look at his face, and the sight sends shivers down my spine.

…What's wrong with this guy's eyes?

They look blank, just like a doll's. And when I take a better look at his face, I realize something.

Is this guy part of Dry Juice…!?

"…!?" As I stand distracted, he takes the chance to send a blow to my shoulder. The intense pain travels as far as my fingertips. "…That hurt, you asshole!" I reflexively turn and let loose a roundhouse kick. I hit his stomach, and he looks as if he's about to crumble to the ground.

The people here…

Are they all Dry Juice?

"…Wah!" A fist comes at me from the side, and I kick at it in a panic.

…Right. Where'd Clear go?

"Clear! Are you okay!?" I called out.

"Yes! Clear here! I'm okay, Master!"

As I turn around to the sound of his voice, Clear was standing there facing some of the black-clothed men. The black-clothed man ate Clear's punch and fell down to the ground.

….…Well, that's how it's going to be.

These guys are kind of weird. None of them have said anything since we came in. All they've done is pursue and attack us with blank expressions the whole time. And the one I just saw had doll –like eyes…

All their concern turned to the other way; I turn around and saw Trip fighting off the hoard of those black-clothed goons. But because he was so focus he doesn't see one coming behind him.

"Watch out!" I yelled catching Trip attention.

"Huh?"

Trip had no time to block the incoming attack, and I quickly ran up to the black-clothed guy aiming for Trip. "Take this!" I let loose a roundhouse kick knocking the man down, and threw my fist into the stomach of one of the guys sending him down to the floor.

"Thanks Aoba."

"You're welcome, just be more aware of your surroundings!"

"Aoba!"

I turn my head hearing Koujaku calling my name. "Koujaku!"

Koujaku swung at some of the black-cloth men while running up to me. "Aren't these guys part of Dry Juice!?"

"!" After hearing Koujaku say that, my doubts began to turn into certainty. "Yeah."

"But, then why are they doing this…!?"

"Master-! I hear more sounds coming from the inside! They're gathering!"

"So this was a decoy." Mink quickly starts running into the interior of the factory.

"Hey, don't just run off…Tch!" Koujaku leaves to go after Mink and the black-clothed men who were just downed begin to rise up like zombies. While yelling, Koujaku mows them down with the back of his sword. "Plucking the leaves won't kill the tree! I'll do something about this so you head in first!"

"…Got it! Thanks a lot!"

"Bye bye, Aoba!" Trip yelled punching down some of the fallen men.

This isn't the time to hesitate. I run with Clear and Mink to the inner parts of the factory. I can see the front passageway…Is this the entrance?

We jump into the passageway, and three black-clothed men are standing there to block the entrance.

"Guess we'll have to deal with this." Mink said.

"Eek!" Clear cried out.

"Hey, go on ahead." Mink told me.

"Eh?" I looked over at him confused.

Mink beats the black-clothed man who runs up to us with his fists.

"Hurry it up. Gas mask guy, you're over here."

"What!? I want to stay together with Master!"

Mink holds Clear by his neck and squeezes tight. Mink's piercing eyes catch me.

"We should take all these guys down first…" I said.

"..Tch." Mink clicks his tongue, clearly irritated. "This isn't the time to bitch around."

Another black-clothed man starts to come closer.

"Ahhh! Please stooooop!"

"Just hurry up and go."

"…Got it!"

* * *

 **In the next chapter**

 **A single person calls for them to stop. I can't see his face because of his hood. The hooded person comes closer to me, but keeps a small distance and stops. He pulls down his hood slowly with both hands. I look at the face under the hood, and…**

 **My heart stops.**


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

I passed through a line between the black-clothed guys and Mink's men and ran full speed to the door father inside. I open the door and go outside. In front of me is a parking lot space, a car, and black colored van that had been parked.

Around it stands a crowd of people in black clothing. Three people come out of the back seat and move towards the open van. I see the person in the middle…and yell out without thinking.

"Granny!"

That small silhouette, being restrained on both sides and forced to walk is undoubtedly Granny!

The black-clothed men notice me and begin to run towards me.

"…Wait."

A single person calls for them to stop. I can't see his face because of his hood.

The hooded person comes closer to me, but keeps a small distance and stops. He pulls down his hood slowly with both hands.

I look at the face under the hood, and…

My heart stops.

"…!?"

"I almost didn't think you'd come all the way out here. That's just like you, Aoba."

"Mizuki…You, why…To Granny…" I'm too shocked to speak as Mizuki stares at me. He shows off an almost superficial smile.

"I waited for the guys I sent to find you, but for you to come all the way here…I wonder if they were caught?"

…No way.

This isn't the face of the Mizuki I know. And he's saying all of these things with that horrible smile.

"What…happened to you? Both Koujaku and I were so worried when Dry Juice just disappeared…" I desperately asked him.

"Ah, that, huh? Listen, Aoba. It's amazing. We were reborn as members of Morphine."

"Morphine…?"

"Yeah. That legendary team, you know, that one? They're not just some group in Rib. Being in Morphine is like being Gods."

"…Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course I am. Did you think I was joking? Dry Juice is now an absolute being. I'm saying that now, no other team could possibly pass Morphine. Haha, hahahahaha!" Mizuki starts to laugh with a huge smile on his face.

I can't believe he's wearing such a disturbing expression. The surrounding members don't move a muscle. Does everyone here have those doll-like eyes? Is someone controlling them…?

"Mizuki, open up your eyes already. This is nuts!"

"Huh? What're you saying? You're the weird one, Aoba." Mizuki said "You never once accepted an invitation to any team. I was calling out to you with all seriousness, you know? Did you think that Rib was just something stupid to play?"

"Of course not!" I yelled.

"Then why didn't you join a team? You knew that I was always serious about it."

"…"

"Aoba, it's not too late. And I'll even offer you a high ranked position. Become a comrade of the reborn Dry Juice."

"…Never."

I know Mizuki is completely serious when it comes to Rib. And that's why I always was as stern as possible when answering him. He's being strange right now. He's not someone who would say these things.

Mizuki listens to me with that distorted smile on his face, and soon he lets out another eerie smile. "…Oh, really. I see. Whatever. I have a good idea, anyway. Aoba, you really lover your grandma, don't you?"

"!"

Mizuki grabs Granny, puts her in a hold, and then puts something to her neck.

…It's a knife.

I can feel the sweat drip down my back.

"…Mizuki, stop this."

"I will if you join my team."

"…Nguh!"

Granny's face becomes stiff and she closes her eyes. Seeing her put on an expression of acceptance, I quickly become even more impatient.

"Let go of her." I demanded clenching my fists.

"You really don't get it, do you? I already told you. Become a part of our team."

"I said I won't."

"Huh?" The irritation starts to show on Mizuki's face. "You think I'm just bluffing? That I'm all talk?...Fine then I'll start."

"Hey…"

"Don't regret it afterwards, after all, you're the one who didn't choose to join me."

"Hey, Mizuki! Stop!" I yelled desperately as Mizuki pushes the tip of the knife to Granny's throat.

No…

Stop…

Granny…

Granny!

"…!" My legs start running on their own. I grab onto Mizuki and look into his eyes…

…And then.

 _BA-DUMP_

…Suddenly, my vision starts to go blurry. I've felt this sensation somewhere before…

That's right, this…

…In Rhyme. The sensation I felt when I was fighting Noiz.

…No.

I've know it from even longer ago. Much longer…A long time ago…

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

…

Wha…t…?

This is…This is Mizuki's shop.

But it's a little different.

Inside it are countless customers, more than it's ever had before. But every one of them…

They're all missing a face.

Only bright red, slimy mouths were wriggling with a joyful giggle to them. And even more so, I could hear what everyone was saying, word for word.

"Eh, Rib is so out of style!"

"Yeah, Rhyme is so much better."

"Everyone doing it is dropping dead."

"Yeah, Rib is gonna be dead soon, right?"

"People are just gonna do Rhyme from now on."

"Rib is gonna be out of the picture."

"…guh…" All the rustling voices jumble up my mind. They're so unbearably loud. "Wha-What is this…!?" This can't be real. Then, is this a dream? Am I dreaming…? But…this sensation. It's like the time when I was pulled into Rhyme.

From a long time ago…

"…" I try to think of something, anything to get these voices out of my head.

Shut up, shut up…

My head hurts.

The voices are giving me a horrible headache.

Shit…!

I'm going to go crazy…!

I feel an unusual heat in both my hands and ears, and something starts to pour out.

"…?" It's black, slimy liquid, like tar. In the liquid there were a bunch of katakana and hiragana characters mixed together. Just floating there.

This…

"!"

Some of the words are coming into my mind…!? The black liquid begins to fill my ears, and they suddenly become heavy. All the dead words are squeezing together, and both of my ears are overflowing…

"What's going on…"

If this is a dream, I want to wake up soon. But this feels so real. If this was a dream…It doesn't matter, I have to get out of here or else. As I search for the entrance, I suddenly feel someone's gaze on me.

Right now…Is someone watching me?

When I turn around, I pass a familiar face.

…A face. They have a face.

Although it was featureless, this one had a face.

"…Keh!" I start running after him.

The man with the featureless face suddenly stops speaking, and I push through the crowd with both hands towards the inside of the shop. This place is a tattoo parlor. I open the door and enter.

…The place through the door was Dry Juice's HQ.

Why?

They should've been in here.

It looks like the entire place has been vacated…

"!" On the staircase where Dry Juice's tag was drawn, the guy I just saw earlier comes over, holding his head down. I slowly walk up to him. I don't know what will happen. But I understand who he is. "…Mizuki."

Mizuki slowly raises his head. He looks distraught, as if he was about to cry. "Aoba…Help me, Aoba." Suddenly, the tag art turns black and blood is splashed everywhere.

"What happened to you…?" I asked.

"I don't know what I should do."

"What..?"

"About Dry Juice." Mizuki said. "Rib is so fun, and I love it so much…That's why I'm always thinking seriously about Dry Juice. What kind of team we need to be so everyone enjoys it, so no one ever comes to hate it. I've been thinking about how to do that. I was thinking of how we could make it seem like we were family."

"I understand." I said "That's why Dry Juice became the largest team."

"But…That's just not good enough anymore." Mizuki hangs his head in frustration, balling fists with his hands. "Rhyme's becoming so popular that it's not working anymore. Everyone is losing interest in Rib, it was like a dream from the past…And they just throw it away like that. In the end, both Rib and Rhyme are just games. People always like new and fun things more. But I…Both Rib and Dry Juice, they were so important to me that I didn't want to let go of them! That's why getting serious about it was stupid, but I couldn't just let go of it so quickly. Our members are steadily moving over to Rhyme, and we aren't getting many new recruits… All the effort I put into friendships I made are crumbling away."

It pains me to watch Mizuki say these things while looking so miserable…I clench my teeth. I know that Mizuki holds Dry Juice very close to him. But for him to brood like this is…

I've been close to him for a long time, but I've never noticed how much he was hurting inside. It makes me so frustrated to realize I've been so weak. If only I could talk about personal things like that with Mizuki…

"It bothered me every day, but I couldn't figure out what to do about it. And then I met a guy that said he was a Morphine member."

"Morphine…" I mutter.

"Since Dry Juice was the best team out there, I didn't join Morphine. At the start, he was suspicious as hell, and said what I was thinking all the time. But then I met more members from Morphine…and eventually I thought it was okay. If they knew I became a member of Morphine, then everyone wouldn't go to Rhyme instead. And that I could finally boast about Dry Juice again."

"Then you really entered Morphine…" I said.

"Yeah. But that was a huge mistake. Morphine wasn't what I thought it was. Morphine, they're…"

 _"Ugh…"_

 _"You know, Mizuki…"_

 _"No…You're lying…Dry Juice finally became a part of Morphine, isn't that what I told you!? But why… Don't mess with me…. Damn it… ! …Ugaahhhhhhhhhh!"_

"Mizuki's facial expression suddenly changes. Holding on to his stomach in pain, he falls to the ground on his knees.

"Mizuki?" I called out to him in worry.

"Ugh, urghh, aaaaahhhhh…." Mizuki tilts his head upward as if it was tearing apart. His eyes turn in every direction, and he opens his mouth to let out a hoarse scream. Large amounts of sweat drop from his chin and pool on the ground.

"Hey, Mizuki!"

"Aggggghhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Mizuki!" I rush over to Mizuki and grab hold of his shoulders. "…!?"

What?

What's going on? Just now…

"…!" My head hurts… I can see something. These images…

These…memories.

These are…

My…

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"…Mizuki!"


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

I scream and take a step back.

This is…

I don't know where this is.

…No, it's different.

This is where the black van and car were parked.

Then, Mizuki is…

"…!" At that moment, I felt like I was sinking into the ground. No way, this again…!?

 _Rhyme field is in check…_

"…I knew it. This is Rhyme." I said recognizing the feel.

"Yeah. And we've been pulled in by force again." Ren said appearing in his avatar form.

"Another Drive-By…! But my opponent isn't Noiz again, right? Who in the world…Huh? Hey, is that…!? Isn't that Toue?" I say in shock recognizing the person standing in front of us.

"…I've found you."

"!? Ren, defense!" I quickly say.

"!"

"Ren!" I quickly ran over to him as he fell down from blocking the attack.

"Heh…"

"Shit…! How are her attacks so brutal!? ...They're…" Ren went for another attack but the Durability hardly took any damage. "We aren't even making a scratch! Besides, why is Toue…!?"

"…" He's Allmate made another attack.

"Whoaaa!"

"No matter what you do, it still won't be enough." Toue said.

"Guh…"

"Right now, you can't even attempt to stop me. It's impossible."

"…"

"If you want to stop me… Be my guest and destroy yourself. By your own actions."

"Huh?"

"I eagerly anticipate the outcome. Heh."

"…Toue!"

* * *

"You're finally awake."

"Eh?"

Huh? That voice…

"…Granny!?" Why is Granny here…!? When I try to get up, I realize I was resting on Granny's lap. "Granny, why, how-Huh?"

"It's been chaos ever since you got here."

"Ah…"

…That's right. I think of how I stopped Mizuki's people from loading Granny into their car. After that, I was pulled into Rhyme again…Why did Toue come out? It made no sense. We couldn't even lay a hand on them.

But still, why was Toue…? And he even spoke as if he knew something about me…

Feeling incredibly uneasy, I look at Mizuki who had fallen face down to the ground.

"Mizuki…!"

Virus, Trip, Koujaku, Noiz, Mink and Clear are all there too.

"Are you okay, Aoba?" Koujaku asked.

"Master!"

"…" Seeing everyone's face gives me peace of mind, and I find my body suddenly feeling heavy. "Granny…"

"What?" She asked.

"My head hurts…"

"Take some medicine later. We're going home."

"Okay…"

…We're going home. Of course she'd say that, but just hearing those words makes me very happy.

We're going home.

To our house.

I'm so glad…

…The power in my body gradually ran out, and at some point or another I lost consciousness.

* * *

 **"-, -"**

 **"-,-"**

 _"-, -"_

 _"-, -"_

Back and forth, back and forth, the constant voices. I hear the sounds of two people chattering inside my mind. These two unyielding voices tormented my eardrums.

Chit chat chit chat.

They would always be fighting, though sometimes they'd talk to me instead.

"…Who are you? You're always speaking inside my head. Who are you?"

 **"I'm you."**

 _"I'm you."_

"…Both of you are me?"

 **"Yeah."**

 _"Yes."_

"…Why are you always talking? It's noisy. I can't hear other people."

 **"You don't really have to listen to them. Don't talk to other people. They're all…They're all enemies."**

"Really?"

 _"No, that's wrong. What she said is going too far. You can't just shut yourself away."_

"…Really?"

 **"Shut up. Be quite. And don't get in the way. We're fine. Everyone is an enemy. We don't know what they'll do to us. So…"**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **"It's better to destroy them all."**

* * *

…The next time I open my eyes, all I see is the ceiling.

"…"

This is…my room.

I blink a few times, and slowly my sense of reality comes back to me.

Ouch…

The inside of my head keeps pounding. I need some medicine…I sluggishly get up and I see Ren coiled up under the futon. Just like how he always would…on a normal day. Looking at him, I feel like I've come back to my senses.

We finally came back home.

I reach out my hand to Ren and start to lightly pet him. He starts up.

"Aoba."

"Good morning, Ren." I greeted with a sheepish smile.

"Good morning. How's your health?" Ren greeted back.

"I have a headache." I told him.

"I see. You haven't taken any medicine yet?" He asked.

"Nope. Let's head downstairs." I get up from my bed to leave, and hold Ren in my arms with me.

Ouch…

It feels like an awful, violent vibration keeps moving through my body. But I smell the scent of a lot of food coming from the hallway, and forget the pain for a little while.

Granny must've made something.

…Granny. I'm so glad she's safe.

Since happiness can't exactly fill my stomach, I go downstairs.

When I enter the living room, Virus, Trip, Koujaku, Noiz and Clear are all sitting at the dinner table. Mink is sitting on the coach in the other room by himself. On the table is food that Granny has lined up, and my stomach starts to rumble.

"Finally up, Aoba?" Koujaku said.

"Good morning, Aoba-san."

"Yahoo, Aoba!"

"Master!"

"Yo, Ren. I came to visit." Beni greeted.

"Hey."

"How are you doing?" Koujaku asked.

"Okay. I'm not feeling too great." I responded.

"Of course you wouldn't." Koujaku looks down and lets out a small sigh. The atmosphere around everyone here gives me the feeling that they're all tired.

Well of course they'd be…

Something unbelievable happened back there.

"How's Mizuki?" I asked worriedly.

"Mizuki and the rest of the Dry Juice members are all in the hospital. Seems like none of them have woken up yet." Koujaku told me.

"I see." I mutter looking down.

Back then…

I confronted Mizuki as he was about to load Granny into that car. I don't know if what happened was a dream or reality, but I realized now that both Mizuki and I fell down.

Did something happen to us?

There's only one thing that I clearly remember. And that…is my past. I had forgotten all about it until now, but it suddenly came back to me. The fact that I had been participating in Rhyme a long time ago. That's why I somehow knew how to fight Noiz in that Drive-By.

But…why did I forget that?

Not that I vaguely knew how to fight back then, but the fact that I was participating in Rhyme? Was there a point in time when I just forgot about it all?

"So you're awake."

"Granny." When I look to Granny, she softly grunts and places a plate on the table. "I'll help."

"I'm almost done. You hurry up and sit down too." She says.

"Okay, I got it." I obediently take an empty seat. "Granny, are you sure you're okay now?"

"Worry about yourself first. You're the one who fell flat on your face."

"…" I listen and don't say another thing. I saved Granny, but in the end I just made her even more worried. Feeling awkward, I take my plate. At first I just poked it with my chopsticks, feeling depressed, but once I took a bite that all flew away.

It's delicious.

Suddenly my appetite grows larger. Everyone else couldn't stop eating once they tasted her food either, and in a flash all their plates were in the air, ready for more.

Clear once again must've eaten at the speed of sound, and Mink didn't come to the table until the last minute.

The medicine I take calms me down, and I open my mouth to ask Granny something.

"…Granny, can I ask something?"

"What?" She asked.

"Was Mizuki…really the person that took you?"

Her gaze falls to the teacup in her hands. "Yes."

"…"

"He called me from the back. He said that he wanted something with you and that he wanted me to come too." Granny began to tell her story "I thought it was odd at first, but then he suddenly gagged me and dragged me into the car."

"So it was him… But why you?" I asked.

"…" Granny stays silent with a troubled look on her face but slowly opens her mouth to say something. "Aoba. And the rest of you too. First, I haven't given my thanks yet. Because of you all, I'm safe now. Thank you."

"Granny…"

"I'm going to tell you something very serious right now. The truth is that I should've said this earlier…but all I can do is say it now. It's a better idea to just tell you now than never. So make sure you listen up."

Everyone looks at Granny, completely silent.

"Now, Mizuki was the one who kidnapped me…but he was being manipulated."

"By Morphine, right?" I said.

"Yes." Granny nodded her head "But Morphine is a little different from what you think it is. This is just my guess, but they were probably under the influence of Toue Inc."

"Toue…?" Koujaku asked.

"The old fart that bought this island and made Platinum Jail, huh." Noiz said.

"But what does Morphine have to do with Toue?" I asked.

Granny watched us talk and once again lowered her eyes to her teacup. "…I used to be one of Toue's researchers at his lab once. It was twenty years ago."


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Granny, you were a researcher…for Toue?" I asked in disbelief written all over my tone.

"Yes. I was one of the original ones. I always knew that Toue and the establishment were growing closer and closer."

Granny…worked for Toue…

I recall the time when I fought Toue in Rhyme.

"Toue has always been doing neural research. To put it simply, I worked with the brain's plasticity. We tested how some drugs could affect brains that had lost their functionality. I was hoping to find the solution to be able to save people who had damaged brains: I always believed that it was an amazing thing to study."

"But, it didn't turn out to be that way. Toue's real objective was to find a way to manipulate people in any and every way possible. That's what the research was for. I believe that they often designed secretive programs, and the issues grew over time. When I looked into it, you could see it in their documents."

"In there I read that they had perfectly substituted a person's consciousness successfully. When I saw that, I felt like I was dead. I did it all to save people, and in the end it backfired. After that I stopped all of my research and quit. I decided that I'd return to this island, my hometown and live the rest my life in peace, without Toue in it. But, a little while ago I got a message. From Toue."

"…!" I couldn't help but let out a small gasp.

"He wrote that there was an emergency at the research center and requested that I return. But I kept refusing; I never want to associate myself with him ever again. He must've gotten furious at me. Then they took serious action. That's what Morphine is."

"But, then why was Mizuki… Why was Dry Juice caught up in it?"

"Recently, haven't young people all around on this island been disappearing? They drug them up, cause them to lose their senses, and make them their patients. I think those are Toue's victims. They coax them into Morphine and release them into the city, just so they can be monitored for progress. Otherwise they wouldn't have released failed subjects."

"Failed subjects…?"

"The ones who can't handle it and break down. Their minds are destroyed and they become invalids."

"Then what happens to the successful ones?" Koujaku asked.

"They're retrieved and are subjected to even more experiments. Like when I spoke of the people with substituted consciousness…They've lost their freedom by then. Didn't you see it when you looked at Mizuki? He stepped all over me because I was caught unprepared."

"What's Toue trying to do with the research? What's going to happen to the island now?" I asked.

"Most likely to rid all people on this island of their minds. That way Toue will be able to rule unopposed over his 'Kingdom'. If the method to break a person's minds if found quickly enough, he'll also be able to buy other countries."

"…"

"Toue has his hands deep in this Old Residential District. It's been peaceful for several years now, but… his real plan may be only beginning now."

Then everyone in this district will become like those test subjects? Haga-san, the stupid brats, Yoshie-san, everyone…

"…We have to stop him. I won't let him. I'll never let that happen." As I mutter those words, Granny looks at me with a pained face.

"…There's still something I have to say, Aoba. It's about you." Granny said.

"Me?"

"You lost consciousness when you came to save me, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah. I had a really realistic dream too…I talked with Mizuki in it."

"That wasn't a dream. What you were seeing was in Mizuki's head." Granny said.

"…Huh? ...In his head?" I said confused.

Granny makes sure of something and looks into my eyes. "Don't you tell me that it's nothing. I don't know if you'll believe me so easily, but…You're able to mix your consciousness in with other people's minds."

…What?

What did she say?

My own consciousness inside someone else's head? I don't understand what Granny's saying.

"We called that ability Scrap." She continues to speak.

"Scrap…" I mutter the name.

"In your case, you can induce Scrape with your voice."

"!"

"I get over emotional when making speeches sometimes, but I listen to why people say some things. Don't you have a lot of those experiences?"

Recalling the times I speak to people on the phone, talking to Noiz in the same tone through his Allmate and the time I snapped at the others during our meeting.

"…I guess you could say that." I mutter.

"Your voice has the power to pull people in. If you decide to put it to use, you'll be able to gain access to others' minds. If you're doing it to someone you know well, and have a deep wish or desire, you will most likely be able to plant that into their consciousness with you own. But, if you use physical contact through the flesh as a mean of contact, the other person will be completely defenseless. When you do that, as soon as you speak…There's a possibility that their mind will 'break'. That's just a theory." Granny explained.

"…" I was already finding it difficult to understand Granny, but now… If I speak to someone's consciousness, I can control them? Being able to face them in their own minds? Possibly 'breaking' them?

I don't get it at all.

It feels like she's speaking in some language I don't understand…

"…So that's what it was." Mink, who was in the other room, walks in at some point, arms folded and leaning on a wall.

"Scrap is a strong power in your voice."

"Then that weird place in my dream was actually Mizuki's mind…?"

"I can't say what you saw exactly. But it probably was." Granny said.

"I talked to Mizuki back there. He was like he usually is, and… He told me about how he was in so much pain, and how he worried about Rib and Dry Juice."

"So that's what he was so hung up about…" Koujaku mutters.

"…The one you were speaking to was Mizuki's consciousness. It was the real Mizuki, with no lies, only complete truths. How did you answer?" Granny asked.

"I…For some reason, I suddenly remembered my past…I don't understand why I forgot completely about being in Rhyme." Koujaku, Virus, Trip and Noiz look at me. So it was like that… It's because I've always refused to participate in Rhyme. "But…when I was talking to the real Mizuki, it felt weird like Rhyme did…I can't really describe it. What was it…Mizuki…He was telling me something. That Morphine wasn't what we thought it was. But before he said that, he looked like he was in so much pain…"

"Hm…" Deep wrinkles form on Granny's brow; she snorts, and begins to think. There was still the matter at hand to talk about, but her silence stays heavy. Here, everyone is listening to Granny's words. "This is my opinion, and I'm not trying to condemn you at all. But…If you had chosen the right words at that time, Mizuki's consciousness might have returned."

"Huh, you mean…"

Please don't tell me…

"It's a horrible way of saying it, but you could've taken the half-dead Mizuki and drawn out his true feelings, but you left him there. If you had, for example, 'peeled off his outer shell and exposed his flesh' in a way. It's a very delicate thing. So…Mizuki's consciousness will never return. Isn't that right?" She looked over to Koujaku, who nodded his head.

"Yeah, that's what I'm hearing."

"Mizuki was strung along in a trap by Toue. Like when he was feeling pain of his head splitting apart when you tried to speak to him. When he was dragged out and then left alone, Toue's trap set off. And that's why his mind has been destroyed. If he ever does come back, it'll be from of his own willpower."

"! No way…!" Mizuki's mind was destroyed…and it was my fault?

…My vision goes pitch black.

My fault, no…

Mizuki…

"Aoba. Your power is capable of destroying people. That's why you need to be aware of it." Granny said. "I've always been thinking about when I should tell you…"

"…"

"I've always been here for you. I've been able to protect you in this cage. But now that's no good anymore. If you use it to protect me, it'll just go wild and all you'll be met with is misery in the end. It's why Toue found you. You were one of the first there when Toue began his research. They wanted that power, and they were willing to put their hands on your throat for it. This time they're forcing their way in, but I don't know what Toue is up to right now. That's why you have to go on your own now, Aoba."

"…" Even if you sat that…I can't just accept it like that. What Granny just said was as much as I could take.

But…

But, I understand that letting Toue do whatever he wants is dangerous. If I ignore him, this island will become his plaything.

"A special event is opening in Platinum Jail soon. It's not clear what it'll be about until the day it opens, but they're offering it to the Old Resident District too."

"Why is the Old Resident District being invited? Isn't it usually isolated from Platinum Jail?" Clear who was silent the whole time spoke up.

"They're opening it to the public, and testing things out by inviting the District." Noiz said.

"Exactly. The research is still unknown to the public." Granny said. "But with this event, they'll be able to observe the results of their experiment."

"Do you know how they are going to observe them?" Virus asked.

"Songs, speeches, lights, videos…They want to figure out how the people can be broken, and if they can acquire anything new."

Saying that, there's nothing we can do before the event, is there…

"We'd better get to Platinum Jail as soon as possible. Maybe even tomorrow." Koujaku said.

"How are we going to do this?" I asked.

"There's a way to get in before the gates open." Granny told me.

"There is?" I said in shock.

"Yes. But I can't move. You'll have to depend on someone else to help. Go to Haga-san."

"To Haga-san?"

"People that have lived here for a long time pretty much all know. It's not too difficult. You can ask for even more details." After saying that, Granny gives out a pained breath. "Well…I've talked a lot, haven't I, even though you all kept interrupting me. It wasn't much…but I told you of the truth I saw when I was a researcher. I'm sorry for getting you all caught up in this." Granny faces us and lowers her head.

"Granny…"

"Tae-san, don't…"

"Grandmother…"

After lowering her head for a few more seconds, she looks at everyone. "Now, you all must be tired now. You all could do more if you'd like, but it's better to let yourselves rest now." Once Granny spoke, no one else said a word.

Everyone left the living room with a meek look on their face. Once everyone leaves, Granny stands up and goes inside the living room. She sits down and takes a long, deep breath.

I walk up to join her.

"…Granny."

"What?"

"Can we talk a little more?"


	28. Chapter 27

**The actually story starts here, I'll try my best to keep the two in character, if they start to act OOC then let me know and where in the story they started to act like that and I'll try my best to make act like how they are supposed to be. Other than that please do enjoy! Please leave a comment and tell what you thought about the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 27**

"Can we talk a little more?" She doesn't answer me, but I go and sit next to her. There are so many things I want to talk about. But…I don't know what I should say first. My mind's in a frenzy, and I can't seem to hold onto thoughts. I stare at my hands on my knees, and open my mouth while thinking. "You know, I…always make you worry about me, and I don't know a lot about stuff. I'm sorry, while you were talking earlier…"

"You're sounding stupid." Granny said before looking at me with gentle warm eyes "Aoba, there's never been a day that's passed by when I'm not thankful for your safety. You're my responsibility…because I'm your crusty old grandmother."

"Granny…" I spoke softly.

Granny sits silently and stares at me for a few moments. "…You said that you remembered participating in Rhyme, right?"

"Yeah."

"A long time ago, you had to go to the hospital because of an incident in Rhyme."

"Huh? An incident in Rhyme?" I asked.

"Yeah. Only now can I say it to you. When I rushed up to you back then, you didn't remember anything. Both the doctors and the police told me you were caught up in a bad fight. That you were beat up really bad, and that you were suffering from temporary memory loss…And then the day when I visited, something happened."

 _Knock Knock_

 _"Aoba?" Tae called out opening the door to the room where Aoba was at. "…!" She let out a surprise gasp upon seeing Aoba standing up looking out the window, before she turn her head at her with a smirk._

 _"Are you surprised?" Aoba asked._

 _"!...Aoba…"_

"At that time, there was a nurse collapsed on the floor next to you… And for two days after that, you continued to sleep. The nurse who had fainted said she remembered nothing. I went into your room to inspect some things, and it seemed that when you had woken up, you had lost your memory."

"…"

"You've been having those headaches ever since." Granny said.

"I…remember that. After that, my memories came back. They were still fuzzy, though." I told her.

"That nurse was lightly affected by Scrap. You enter her consciousness and destroyed part of her memory. The headaches, Scrap, the personality change…I knew that danger was sure to reappear again, so I prescribed you medicine. As you began to become more stable, I guess it was as if I suppressed the power there. And as a result, didn't your headaches also fade away?" Granny asked.

"Yeah." I nodded my head.

"The medicine losing its effect might mean that you're having a reaction to the drugs forcing the power down."

"…"

"Scrap's main principle is destruction. To kill, to bring ruin…But the use of such a thing can change on how and for what reason you use it for." Granny told me. "And that's why I want you to face it by yourself now. And never stop, no matter what happens. Just believe in your own choices along the way and keep pushing forward."

Speaking with fervor, Granny takes both of my hands and grips them tightly. Her hands are warm and soft. This is the warmth of my gentle Granny. It's the warmth of someone important to me, someone who's always watched over me. "Granny."

"Hm?"

"I'll definitely come back." I told her with confidence and determination in my tone.

"…Yeah." She nods her head and gives me a tiny smile.

Suddenly, I remember everything I didn't speak with Granny about. I never talked about my fight with Toue in Rhyme.

But…

Talking to her after all of that is hard. If she were to know that I was involved with Toue, she'd worry even more. I feel guilty about not telling her everything, but I don't want to make her even more anxious over me.

…I really don't want that.

"…"

"What's wrong?" Granny asked noticing my silence.

"Nothing."

In the end, I didn't confess to Granny about my encounter with Toue. After that, she stands up from the sofa and takes something out from one of the shelves.

"Take this with you. It's a new prescription for your headaches."

"Thanks."

"Make sure you hold onto it." She said handing me the case.

"Okay." I tightly grasp the medicine she gives me. I go back to my room, flop onto my bed, and stare at the ceiling. The only thing that runs through my head is what Granny said. I don't feel like sleeping at all.

How Mizuki and his group was manipulated by Morphine.

How Granny was actually a researcher for Toue once.

Toue's real intentions.

How I remembered that I participated in Rhyme before.

About my power, Scrap.

And how I…might have broken Mizuki beyond repair.

"…" No matter how many times I roll around in my sheets or let out deep sighs, the heavy feeling never goes away.

I really did that to Mizuki…

If only I'd listened to what Mizuki had to say back there, I might've been able to save him.

That's what Granny said. But I wasn't able to do that. Even if I didn't know…I still can't forgive myself.

My one action changed Mizuki forever.

I can't…

I can't believe it…

I look up to the ceiling and pound my face into the pillow. An uneasy feeling in my arms suddenly surfaces and won't seem to fade at all. "…Damn it."

With the way I am right now, I won't be able to get any sleep. I get up from bed and headed to the door planning to take a walk.

But…

"…"

"…"

I hear voices coming from outside my door.

Opening my door a little I peak out to see Virus and Trip standing out in the hallway talking to someone on their Coils.

Work maybe?

I mean, they are part of the yakuza, so it wouldn't be surprising to get sudden calls this late at night.

"…Yes…Yes. Everything is fine on our end. …Hm, Sei-san?"

Sei?

A member of theirs?

"…I see. …Hm, you sure? …No, it's not a problem….All right."

The call ended and Virus lets out a low sigh.

"Looks like things are about to take an interesting turn."

"Yeah."

 _CREAK_

"Hm, Aoba-san?"

"Aoba?"

"!"

Uwah!

I've been caught!

"A-Ahh, hehe…S-Sorry about that?" I chuckled nervously scratching the back of my head. "I was planning to head out for a small walk but overheard your conversation back accident. Was it something related to your work?"

Virus and Trip looked at each other as if they were speaking through their eyes.

"Yeah, somethings came up but were easily dealt with." Trip said.

"I see…" I said "I'm really sorry about that…"

"It's fine Aoba-san, there was no harm done." Virus said "If I may ask but why did you plan go out this late at night?"

"Ah." I looked at them before looking down to the ground. The conversation with Granny passed through my mind again and the guilt of what I did to Mizuki. "…I…I just couldn't get any sleep. Everything that had happen are still clouding my head. I just can't think straight right now."

"Ah, of what happen to your Dry Juice friend." Trip said as I nod my head.

"Aoba-san you shouldn't worry too much. It's not your fault for what happen to your friend, Mizuki." Virus said.

"Yeah, yeah. You were just confused when you were suddenly pulled into his mind."

"But…"

Confused or not, that doesn't make it an excuse to suddenly destroy your friends' mind to the point that they might never wake up again.

"It's only natural for humans to be confused, if they were suddenly thrown in a different world out of the blue. You had no idea what was happening, so of course you didn't know what to do in that situation, Aoba-san." Virus walked up to me placing his hands on my shoulder, "You shouldn't stress yourself out so much, it's not good for your health."

"…" I sigh. "…I know that, I just can't keep help but to wonder 'What if he never wakes up again?'."

Virus tilted his head "I might not know what exactly what had happen between you and Mizuki, but I think it was impossible for you to have picked the exact words necessary in that situation."

"That's right. From the sounds of it, this was your first time to actually use your power. Right?" Trip walked up with his hands in his pocket.

"Yes. But… It was a chance that I could have saved him with it. It hurts to think that it was my entire fault. And I even remembered that I had been in Rhyme…!" I stopped short in my talk.

Wait…

Rhyme….

Now that I think about it, not long after my fight between Noiz and I, didn't I ask Virus if I had ever played Rhyme before?

 _"Aoba-san?"_

 _"Hey Virus."_

 _"Is something the matter? It's rather rare for you to call."_

 _"No, it's nothing. I was just wondering if you guys know if I had played Rhyme before."_

 _"Oh? You played Rhyme? Wouldn't you know that better than anyone else?"_

 _"I've told you before that my memories are kind of fuzzy, right?"_

 _"Oh, from that accident? No, I have no idea. Is something troubling you?"_

 _"No. Sorry for asking something so weird."_

 _"Not a problem. Let us know if we can ever help in any way."_

I now know that I had played Rhyme and have some few images with Virus and Trip being there. So why didn't Virus tell me that? His not the type to really lie about anything, really.

So why?

"…Can I ask you something?"

"Hm, what is it?"

"A couple of days ago, I called asking whether I had played Rhyme before. You said you had 'no idea', but that was a…lie wasn't it?" I asked them.

The two stood still for a moment; Trip looked at Virus who just nods his head looking back at me.

"Well, it is true you'd have played Rhyme before. The reason we didn't tell you was mainly to keeps people off your back."

I blinked a couple of time confused. "Keep people off my back? What do you mean?"

"You were pretty reckless back in your day, Aoba. Lots of people wanted revenge." Trip said.

"That's right, after that accident and hearing that you had no memories of playing Rhyme Trip and I thought it might be in our best interest to not tell you, so an incident like that doesn't happen again."

"I see."

I guess in some way that does make sense. But I still wish they could have at least told me, but they did have their reasons just like Granny had hers for not telling me about my power. They were only doing it to protect me. So I guess I can't really be mad at them for lying to me about that.

"We do apologize for not telling you, Aoba-san."

"Oh, no, it's all right. You two had your reasons, I'm not mad at you guys at all."

I quickly reassured them that I wasn't angry to which they smile at and not long after that a yawn had slip through my mouth. I guess after chatting and getting somethings off your chest will make you sleepy.

"I think it would be best for you to go get some rest now, Aoba-san."

"Yeah, I think your right. What about you two."

"Not yet, we want to make one more round around the area before we call it a day."

"I see, night then."

"Goodnight, Aoba-san."

"Night."

I began to head back to my room with Virus and Trip made their way to the stair. But before I had entered my room, I recall something that happened.

 _"Hey, is that…!? Isn't that Toue?"_

 _"…I've found you."_

 _"We aren't even making a scratch! Besides, why is Toue…!?"_

 _"No matter what you do, it still won't be enough."_

 _"Guh…"_

 _"Right now, you can't even attempt to stop me. It's impossible."_

 _"…"_

 _"If you want to stop me… Be my guest and destroy yourself. By your own actions."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I eagerly anticipate the outcome. Heh."_

 _"…Toue!"_

During that Drive-By I met with Toue, but for some reason it sounded like he knew me, but I don't recall ever meeting him before.

"Hey wait!" I quickly called out to the two, before they headed down. They both stop in their tracks looking back over to me with confused looks.

"What is it?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Before you guys go I want to ask you one more thing. Is there any chance I might have met with Toue before?"

"Toue?" Virus raised his eyebrow "Why do you ask that?"

"I never brought this up before or told Granny but…after I came out of Scrap with Mizuki, I was suddenly pulled into Rhyme?"

"Pulled into Rhyme, a Drive-By?"

"Yeah." I nod "And my opponent…was Toue."

"You sure about that?" Trip asked.

"Yeah. Ren and I were attacked by him and his strange Allmate. We couldn't even make a dent. But for some reason…when he talk to me...it sounded like he know something about me. Maybe it's something I forgot, and don't know about…I have a feeling it is."

"Is that so…" Virus put his hand under his chin deep in thought "…No I don't recall of you ever meeting or talking to him. Maybe you did before the three of us meet up."

"Maybe…but I definitely want to stop Toue at all costs, however…I also want to learn what he possibly knows about me." I said. "I'm not psychic, and don't know if he actually does, but I have a feeling he knows something very important. I have this feeling that I have to speak with him…"

"Then all the more reason, you should get some rest Aoba-san."

"Yeah, tomorrow is the big day, isn't it? We don't want you collapsing on us due to lack of rest."

"…Right, thanks." I say.

"Not at all." Virus smile before he and Trip headed down.

I heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"…"

 _"…Yes…Yes. Everything is fine on our end. …Hm, Sei-san?"_

 _"…I see. …Hm, you sure? …No, it's not a problem….All right."_

Why do I have this feeling that there was another meaning behind that call?

 _BA-DUMP_

"Owowow…"

Damn.

Another headache.

I think now might be a good time to get some sleep.

With that thought in mind I go back to my room and crawl in my bed to get some sleep.

* * *

The sun peeks through the curtains while I'm still lying in bed, drowsy. As I'm about to doze off again, my Coil suddenly rings. Someone's calling me.

"Yeah?" I answer the call with a yawn.

 _"Aoba-san? Were you sleeping?"_

This voice…

Is uh…

I look at the name on the Coil screen.

"…Huh? Virus?"

 _"Yes."_

"Hey, what's up?"

 _"It's a disaster. Keep calm and listen to me. The police are going to your house right now."_

"…Huh?" I'm now wide awake and bring my Coil closer to my face. "Why?"

 _"I don't know. But a lot of them are on their way."_

"Are you serious…?" I gasped in disbelief.

 _"Please run away and hide somewhere. The police came here too, so things are a bit noisy. We'll catch up with you soon. Aoba-san, please be careful."_

The call from Virus ends.

What? The police? What's going on?

At that moment, I look up and the light in my room becomes brighter. Like morning had passed over into noon.

"…?" I get off my bed, walk up to the window, and open the curtains a bit. "…So bright…" I can't open my eyes. I look out the window, frowning. The early morning mist still covers the scenery, and there are police huddled together in a line in front of my house.

"Ah—Ahh-Ahhhhhhh! Come out this instant! We know you're in there! You damn terrorist!"

"…What!?" I gasp in shock.

That voice…That's Akushima.

"Aahhhh! This is what you're charged with! Trespassing, damage to property and everything else you can think of that goes with those! Come out! Seragaki Aoba and your little gang too!"

"!" He calls out my full name, and I know now that there's no way he's thinking of anyone else.

But wait, me, a terrorist? How did it come to that!?

I finish changing, start up Ren, and quickly go downstairs. In the living room are Granny, Koujaku, Noiz, Clear, Mink, Haga-san and Yoshie-san.

"Aoba…"

"Master!"

"Granny! There are a bunch of policemen outside, and he called out my name too…" I hurriedly say.

"This has definitely taken a turn for the worst…" Granny said.

"Wait, Aoba-chan! What's going to happen!?" Yoshie-san asked worried.

"I finished the preparations for you and came over here, Tae-san, but…it seems like there's bit of a problem." Haga-san said.

"I don't know why they're doing this, but I'm on your side, Aoba-chan!"

"Yes, me too!" Haga-san agreed with a smile.

"Thank you. But, I feel only sort of relieved…" I said.

"This is most likely Toue." Granny said.

"Toue…!?"

"Yesterday, Morphine must've reported that you used Scrap. So now he's showing interest."

"Hurry up and come oooooooooooooooouuut! If you don't we'll come in! Okay! All right! Get ready for entryyyy!"

"All of you, escape through the back door!" Granny quickly told us.

"Those guys are completely serious." Koujaku said.

"We'll do something here. So please, Aoba-chan, get out as quickly as you can!" Haga-san said.

"Exactly! We'll make sure that those stinky policemen can't take a single step!" Yoshie-san said.

"Haga-san, Yoshie-san…Granny, thank you." I told them with a gratitude smile.

"CHAAAAARRRRREEEE!"

"Aoba, they're coming!" Koujaku said.

We go outside through the back kitchen door.

As if they had taken our place, we hear the noise of policemen crowding into the house.

Granny, Haga-san, Yoshie-san…Everyone, I'm sorry…! Please be safe…!

We follow a narrow road that runs between two walls. We pass through it, and it becomes a bit wider as we hit a different back lane.

"There are police over there! I can hear their footsteps!" Just as Clear yells out, I hear the policemen in front of us.

"It's them! They're over here!"

They found us…! If they catch us here, we'll be rounded up like cattle!

"Don't huddle together! Separate!" Mink's voice urges us, and we start running in different directions.

* * *

I did nothing but run to try to shake off the police. I made countless of turns. How long have I even been running for…?

"Ha, ha…Haah…" I lean against a nearby wall, taking rough, heavy breaths. I'm completely out of air after running at full speed.

Did I shake them off?

I don't hear any footsteps after us.

 _BANG_

"-!"

Something shot right next to my head.

"Freeze you terrorist!"

"!?"

Shit, I've been caught.

I went on guard checking around my surrounds trying to see if there any way I could escape, without causing a scene. Unfortunately, there isn't one, there were just too many of them for me to get by. What am I going to do?

"Take this!"

"-Whoa!" I lean my body back to avoid the punch that was heading my way. "Back off!" I spin on my heel and kick the man in the jaw.

"Uwah!" The policeman fell to the ground, holding his jaw.

Another one came at me, and I prepared myself for the fight but the next I knew was a small pain on my cheek and a loud bang.

"Wha?" I put my hand on my cheek and saw the blood, looking over I saw one of the policeman was holding a gun and was about to take aim again.

This isn't good.

I'm completely outnumber and defenseless.

 _BANG_

"-!"

The bullet manages to miss me. I breathe out a sigh of relief but quickly went back on guard. It looks like I have no other option but to use my power. As much as I don't want to, but I have no other choice if I want to make it out of here alive. I took a deep breath and began to focus my energy, just as I was about to open my mouth, the policeman with the gun was suddenly knocked on the ground and a familiar voice rang out.

"Aaaah, that was close."

"Trip!"

Trip stood where the policeman had fallen shaking his right hand. He must have hit him with that hand.

"It seems we got here in time before anything big has happen. Are you all right, Aoba-san?"

I turn around and saw Virus calmly walking up to me. "Virus!" I let out a sigh of relief "…Yeah, glad to see you guys."

Virus came up to me while Trip went on ahead and started fighting the police. He came to a stop a look of surprise was written on his face and then something cold touch my cheek.

"?"

Wait this is Virus's hand…but why does it feel so cold?

"Hm? You're injured." Virus murmurs.

"Eh?" I looked at him confused then suddenly remember the small cut that I got from the bullet "Ah, it's nothing just a small scratch. Nothing to worry abo-!" His eyes…I was cut off short when I saw how cold his eyes looked. A shiver of fear crawled down my spine.

Why am I feeling like this?

"Aoba-san…"

I flinched by how cold and calm his voice is.

"B-Bastards!"

"Heh, they don't know when to stay down."

Some of the fallen policemen started to get back up. Virus looks over to them with a bored look and let out a sigh. "What a pain. Let's clean this up quickly before it gets out of hand."

"Got it." Trip ran back over to them.

Virus looked back at me with a smile his cold look that he had a while disappeared. "Well then. Sorry about this, Aoba-san. We'll treat you wound later-!"

"Whoa!"

Both Virus and I jump back to avoid a pipe that was thrown at us.

"Hey, you can stop right there…you will be in for a world of pain if you get in our way…got it?" Virus spoke in a calm voice walking over to the policeman.

Just as I was about to join in on the fight a dark shadow covered me."!" I turn around in time to see a policeman holding a baton, and was about to take aim. "Take this!" I punch the policeman in the stomach and he drop to the ground in pain.

"Guah!"

Making sure there were no more surprise attacks I check back over to Virus and Trip and see how things are going on their end.

"Aaah man, so annoying. Just come at us all at once already…1…2…3…4…hmm, four of them left, huh…wonder how long it'll take to knock them all out…" Trip mumbled.

Virus knocks out one of them at the back of their neck "According to our current record, our last one was five people in a minute and ten seconds; want to cut it down to under a minute?"

"Heh, piece of cake." Trip smirk.

What on earth are they talking about!?

"Oi, oi, what the hell are you guys talking about!? This isn't the time to be messing around! If any more of them comes will be in even more trouble!"

"Our apologizes, Aoba-san. But this is what we do."

"Haha!"

…

"Honestly…" I sigh before running into the fight to help them out.

I just can't seem to understand these two and their weird logic of things.

* * *

Finally finishing off the police, the three of us ran out of the alley to find a better place to hide at while we catch our breathes.

"Do you think any more of them will come?" I asked leaning against the brick wall catching my breath.

"Probably not." Virus said "Though it would be wise to keep moving."

"Right."

 _Ring_

"…?"

"It's a game application." Ren poked his head out of my bag.

"Again!? And does it really have to be right now…!?"

 _Ring_

"Hm?"

 _Ring_

"Ooh."

Virus and Trip's Coils suddenly went off; it looks like something was sent to them as well.

"A game application, huh?" Virus said.

"Seems so."

"Seriously? You guys got one too?"

"It seems that it's an automatic installation type." Ren said.

"Huh…!" I looked at my Coil in shock as the game started and began to play. The blue knight goes into a cave and walks around the maze going down one of the staircase. He walks around the room to goes to the red chest that held a key. A side screen came up showing that my Coil is downloading something. I look back at the game to see the knight walking back up the stairs and walks to another set of stairs. The knight walks down the hallway to a big door and uses the key to enter the room. The knight walks to the center of the room where a blue orb sat, coming in contact with it screen turn white and an invitation pops up.

It's an invitation to Platinum Jail.

"What a weird game." Trip said.

"I still don't understand this at all…And what's with this invitation about anyway?"

"Invitation?" Virus asked.

"You mean you two didn't get one?" I asked. "Here." I pull the file open again and show it to the two of them.

"I see…"

"So I was the only one who got this?"

"So it would appear."

"I wonder what this all means…" I let out a sigh before pausing a bit. Wait a second. "Now that I think about it, they sent me part of the game when Granny was kidnapped."

"Oh yeah, you did say something like that." Trip said.

"So the game had warned you beforehand?"

"Yeah." I nod "When we were at the Northern District, her character was taken to a landfill by a Crow."

"Hmm…" Virus let out a hum looking deep in thought.

"After I saw it in the game, she was actually kidnapped. So wouldn't that mean that it's trying to tell me something?"

"That is a possibility. But it seems almost too suspicious."

"It could be a trap." Trip said.

"! ...Well, that could be true…" I mutter closing out of the file. I don't have any idea who the sender is or what their game is. And Trip could be right that this is a trap.

But…

A cave, a treasure chest, a key and a large door. What are they supposed to mean?

 _Ring_

"Huh… it's a message this time."

 ** _Haga-san_**

 ** _Secret path to Plt. Jail_**

 ** _I was supposed to escort you, but there has been a change of plans. Please proceed onto D-86 in the North District. We will meet there._**

An image is attached to the message. It's a map of the Old Resident District. A red arrow points around the left side of Platinum Jail's outer wall.

After reading the content I look at the two. "For now, let's go meet up with Haga-san."

"Haga-san? That's your boss right?"

"Aah, the one who knows the way to Platinum Jail."

"Yeah."

We turn in the direction that will take us to our meeting spot with Haga-san according to the map.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The marked area was at an entrance to an underground passageway a little off from the Northern District, with a broken barricade in it. And Haga-san was there; ready to hand over a remodeled type of stun gun to us in order to protect ourselves. He told us that this underground passageway used to be how construction materials for Platinum Jail were transported.

Originally, Platinum Jail was planned to cover the entire island, and the Old Resident District built a passage way to transport materials over. But the plans were put to a halt and the passageway was abandoned. Mostly everyone has forgotten about it, but it's still a way into the gates of Platinum Jail.

The three of us made our way through the barricade and went down the rotting staircases. The inside of the tunnel is pitch black, and it seems to go on forever. We go along the long pathway and come to a staircase. We climb it and end up in a place like nothing we've ever seen before.

A giant white gate towers before us.

So this…is the Platinum Jail gate.

…Is it really okay for us to continue on?

Maybe this really is a trap.

All of us felt the same way, but that didn't stop our feet from carrying us forward.

The gate opens, and we're greeted by a showy fanfare and the sound of fire crackers around us.

"Wah!" I jump back in surprise by the sudden noise.

"…What was that? Where did that sound come from?" Virus said in a bit of shock.

"Who knowns." Trip said.

"Welcome! To the worlds' greatest place for love, dreams, and amusement to take all those worries away, Platinum Jail!" A surreal looking panda trots out from the side of us. I can see six white doors behind him. "This is the upper paradise where only the chosen are let in! Please enjoy yourselves as much as you can!"

"Upper paradise?"

"…Is this thing supposed to be cute?"

"Looks suspicious."

Without caring much about us, the panda presses a button on the wall in high spirits. "Now! Which entrance will you three take? Fun-Fun roulette, start!" The monitor above began to flash different places before coming to a stop. "Ohhh, your destination is Night Time Wonderland! This is an area where you can be set free by your darkest secrets. If you let your true self out you'll enjoy yourself even more! Please, do go inside! Have a nice trip!" The panda wiggles over and presses a button by the third door from the right.

"This thing is really starting to get on my nerves." I murmur.

"Do you think we get in trouble if we break it?" Trip asked.

"Let's not find out." I told him with a sigh. Well… if this were a trap, we'd be jumping right into the enemy's hands. And the possibility of that is pretty high.

"Across the door, there's a confirmation monitor that you must show your ticket, or your invitation to!"

The confirmation monitor next to the door lights up.

"Invitation…" I open up the invitation on my Coil and walk closer to the monitor.

"Platinum ID confirmed. Aoba-sama and guests, welcome to Platinum Jail. The admission formalities will now begin. Guests have been granted Guest ID. Guests, please show your Coil to the monitor."

Virus and Trip held out their Coils to the monitor.

"Confirmed, Guest ID now being transmitted. All jurisdictions belong to the Platinum ID holder. The Guests ID has restricted uses only, so please practice caution. Please read the detailed support section in the full Invitation Card. Please enjoy."

When we pass through the door…it was like stepping into a monochrome wonderland. The buildings were dark with some light colors mixed into it, and the atmosphere here feels unrealistic and almost similar to Rhyme. The people around here were mainly my age and a handful of older people. If it wasn't for the way the area looked, it would be like I'm back in the Old Resident District again. But everything feels much more polish than the Old Resident District.

Like it's all just superficial.

If you look up, there are countless stars twinkling in the sky. One could never even dream of this in the Old Resident District. Platinum Jail's weather and time zone are all controlled, and it's usually set to night time. The idea behind it was so that guests could party any day, any time, apparently…

Looming in front of us is the tower symbolizing Platinum Jail.

"That's Oval Tower..."

I'd heard rumors about it, but this is my first time seeing it in person. This is the world Toue produced...

With that thought, everything here looks fake to me in an instant. No matter how beautiful it is, I hate this splintered off area without a hint of greenery. This homogeneous, perfect, unreal place... It really makes me sick.

"So what do we do now?"

"Aoba-san shouldn't there be something written on the invitation?"

"Uhh…" I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard their voices. "Let me check." I operate my Coil and check the invitation. "It looks like there is an attachment."

"It's a map of Platinum Jail." Ren sticks his head out of my bag.

"What's this marking?" I asked noticing a red arrow on the screen.

"It might be a facility for us to stay at."

"So the invitation also tells us where we can stay at? Let's go check it out. It might be a good place to rest for a bit." I suggested to them.

"That might be wise to do so, but it could also be a trap." Virus said.

"…" A strange, uneasy feeling has hung over us ever since the beginning of this. But we can't just stop moving because of it. "We knew we were walking into a trap even before we went into Platinum Jail. We have to keep going. Ren, could you navigate us there?"

"Understood."

We began to follow Ren's directions; we arrive at a sort of residential area. Gorgeous, regal-seeming buildings line up and down the street. It looks like they're all ranked, and out place to stay is a smaller building at the end.

"This is it…" I said looking at our place.

Compared to the other buildings, it feels somewhat old. Above the door is a plate with 'GLITTER' written on it. There's a plate with a different names on the neighboring building, so this is probably the nickname or this building.

I hold my Coil to the authentication monitor next to the door and try twisting the retro door knob. When I step inside… I'm instantly in awe. I thought it was old-fashioned just from the exterior, but the interior makes it feel even more so.

"Not a bad place." I said in awe looking around the area.

"It definitely has a comfortable atmosphere to it." Virus said.

"Yeah." Trip said.

The interior has a classical feeling to it. It doesn't have the quirks of Platinum Jail, and it's almost like we just stepped into a different world. A short distance away is a staircase that goes up to a second floor, and in the front are a table and a sofa.

We began to tour around the building, while Virus and Trip headed upstairs I stayed down.

"Aoba-san."

I turn around upon hearing my voice and spotted Virus looking down at me from the second floor handrail.

"Yeah."

"There are some rooms up here on the second floor."

"There are?" I asked.

"Yes. It may be a good idea for you to get some rest. We'll be doing that soon, but there are somethings we need to do first."

'Somethings we need to do first.' What does he mean by that?

Virus must have notice the confusion on my face and smile "You might be wondering what I meant by that. It's pretty simple really."

"We're going to have a look around the area, so we can familiarize it if anything comes down." Trip said walking up next to Virus.

"Correct. While we're doing that we'll try to find some information about Toue."

"If that's the case then why not let me come along." I told them. Wouldn't it be wise if we all try to go look for some information about Toue or the Oval Tower. We don't know how much longer till Toue puts his plan in full effect so it's best to get this done as quickly as possible.

"It would be better if you stayed here Aoba-san." Virus said walking down the staircase, Trip following behind him. I notice that he had a small white box in his hand. "Out of the three of us, you're more exhausted from running from the police longer than the two of us."

"But…"

"Aoba-san." Virus cuts me off his sharp blue eyes looking at me making me freeze in place. "I get where you're coming at, wanting to stop Toue as quickly as possible. But we can't do that if we're all exhausted."

"…"

"Now before we go, I would like to treat that cut on your face."

"Cut?" I asked confused. Did I cut myself? I think back of the events that happen today trying to remember it I had injured myself. "Oh…" That's right; I did get grazed by a bullet. Everything that had happen today made me forget about it, even the wound itself hardly even hurts; just a dull throb from it every now and then but it was so faint that I barely even felt it.

"That's right. If you could please sit down over there, I could start treating your cut." Virus pointed over to the couch.

I went over to the couch and sat down followed by Virus sitting down next to me. Trip was already sitting down on the couch watch the scene before him. Virus placed down a small plastic box that looks like a first-aid kit.

"Where'd you get that?" I asked.

"It was in one of the cabinets near the bar counter." Trip answered.

"Bar counter?"

"Yeah there's one on the second floor."

Is that so? I thought. Virus opened the box and inside it was some bandages, sterilization sheets, and different sized adhesive Band-Aides and such.

"This might sting a little, but I'll try to make this quick Aoba-san." Virus told me while he took out the sterilization sheet.

"All right."

Virus quickly treated the wound with ease and I only felt a slight sting from the sterilization sheet but it was tolerable so it didn't hurt as much. Putting the bandage on, Virus closed the box and stood up. "We'll be taking our leave now, remember what I said and get some rest Aoba-san." He said "If we find anything important we'll let you know."

"Ok…" I murmur still not like the fact that I can't go and help out.

"See you, Aoba-san."

"Bye-bye Aoba."

Virus and Trip headed out leaving me alone in the building. I let out a sigh getting up from the couch and headed up the staircase to the second floor.

The first thing I see upon reaching the second floor is something that looks like a living room. To the side of it is a small bar counter. "Looks like Trip was right about that bar counter." Next to it is a long hallway lined with doors, I check out one of the rooms.

The room is small and minimalistic with a refined feeling. I lay down on the bed flooding my arms behind my head looking up at the ceiling.

"…" I let out a deep sigh from my nose. I know that Virus told me to get some rest, but I don't like the idea of just sitting here while Toue could be closer to achieving his plans. I should be out there looking for information, not just laying here doing nothing.

"Hm…" I notice that my body began to sink into the bed. It's feels reeeeally comfortable, and my body is now feeling a bit exhausted. Maybe I am tired. Thinking about it now, running from the police getting into a fight with them and had to carefully make our way here…

I should sleep a bit, just to get some stamina back. Once I'm fully rested I'm going to head out to find some information.

Sitting up and taking my jacket and shoes off, I check on Ren who was in my bag still in sleep mode. Seeing that I crawled into bed and closed my eyes.

* * *

Deep down you know it, don't you?

Who you really are.

What you're capable of.

But you just refused to admit it.

Why's that?

If you just admit it.

It'll make things easier if you do.

Everything will be exactly how you want it to be.

So, admit it.

Admit and accept it.

Then everything will be more fun.

You know that, right?


	30. Chapter 29

**Thank you maximoffargxnt/Almendina for editing this chapter!** **Also if you have notice that some of the things here are similar to the other guys routes, that's mainly because I'm using them to at least help me make a story out this. The story came to mind in a dream and I'm surprise I got this far in. So yeah that's all I have to say. Sorry if this didn't turn out well I hit a couple of writers block and I mainly bs some of the things here. Please leave a review if you can!**

 **Chapter 29**

The next day.

I wake up just a bit past eight.

Even though it's morning, Platinum Jail is still in nighttime mode. Staying in a place like this is really going to mess me up.

"…" I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes.

I feel like I had a weird dream.

I don't remember what it was about, but my head still hurts a little. I reach over my bed taking Ren out of my bag and started him up.

"Morning, Aoba."

"Morning, Ren."

I hold Ren as I got up from the bed and headed out of the room. Closing the door I look at the other two doors in the hallway.

"…I wonder if they're back." I murmur. I carefully check both of the rooms finding both Virus and Trip still asleep. You'd think that they might be up by now due to their jobs. Makes me wonder what time they got back. "Hmm…" I walk down the corridor to the living room placing Ren on the couch; I began to look around wondering what I should do next.

 _Growl_

"!"

Well…that answers my question.

"Aoba, it might be wise to get something to eat."

"…Eh, ah, yeah…I wonder if there is anything." I walked over to the bar counter checking the fridge and pantries to find anything. But there's not much in here to make a decent meal. Looks like I'm going to have to go out and buy some food.

"Ren, it looks like we might have to head out and get some food." I informed him.

"Understood."

I walked over to the table grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil and wrote down a note for Virus and Trip letting them know that I was heading out and will be back. I would have message them by Coil but I don't know if they have muted the sound or not and don't want to take the chances of accidentally waking them up. It may seem a bit old fashion right now, but still…

Placing Ren in my bag I headed outside. I check around and see people walking up and down the streets with smiles on their faces. The sight of it was eerie, in a way.

I guess the management of the streets are well run. It's like a scripted display of a movie or a drama act. I think that this place is gorgeous, but the passerby's don't pay much attention to it.

I open the map attachment and head towards the food market. As I was walking down the streets I keep seeing a lot of advertisements of one certain thing.

 _'A special commemorative event.'_

The large letters scroll across a monitor perched up on a gigantic billboard. It hurts my eyes as I watch the letters pass by. This must be the event Granny was talking about. I better inform the two when I get back. We definitely need to go to this one. But before we do I need to get more info about it if I can, I just hope that they were able to get anything on their end.

I'm still not all too happy that I had to stay behind…

While thinking that, I pass by numbers of other stores and also passing by some type of Allmate store. I wonder if they have any parts for Ren if something where to happen to him.

After a while I finally find the shop I was looking for.

"Well time to get to shopping."

I headed inside and was a bit flustered that the shop was a lot more stylish than the one back at home. But I still manage to get the things I need. I'm actually surprise that the stuff here aren't really that expensive if anything they are almost the same price in the Old Resident District if not a couple of cents higher in the price but it's still durable.

"…"

While in the middle of shopping I heard a weird panting sound coming from Ren.

"Ren? Are you all right?"'

"…" Ren silently stares at me "…I feel a little off, but there doesn't seem to be any significant problem."

I narrowed my eyes a bit at that comment, "We should make sure later, just in case. I'll examine you when we get back."

"Understood."

Feeling a bit worried about Ren's condition, I quickly finished up here and head back down to Glitter. I hold up my Coil up to the monitor next to the door, and the retro-style doorknob turns. When I walked through the entryway I heard the sound of a TV been on and the dim sound of water.

"It looks like they're up." I said to myself heading up the stairs. Once I got up to the second floor I spotted Trip sitting on the couch watching the TV.

Hearing me coming up the stairs Trip looked over at me "Welcome back."

"Yeah, I'm back. And I brought some food." I hold up the grocery bag. "Where's Virus?" When I looked around on the second floor I don't see the other look alike and I didn't see him downstairs either. Could he still be in his room or something?

"Shower." Trip simply said looking back at the TV with boredom.

"I see." I mumbled. I guess that would explain the sound of running water that I heard back on the first floor. Letting out a low sigh I walked over to the bar counter placing the bags down and taking the food out. "I'm going to start making us some breakfast."

"Ohh, so you can cook Aoba?"

I looked up see Trip hanging his head back looking at with a sly smirk. That look right there just irks me and I quickly got annoyed.

"Of course I can."

"Heeh~"

"…"

Tick off by the grin Trip was giving me; I decided to ignore him and began to cook. While I was in the middle of cooking I faintly heard the sound of water stop running. Looks like Virus is done taking a shower, I thought going back to work.

Placing the last of the cook food on the plates I heard the sounds of someone coming up the stairs. Looking up I saw Virus heading up.

"Ah, I see that your back Aoba-san." Virus said taking notice of my presence.

"Yeah, I just finished making some breakfast." I said taking some plates over to the table near the couch. "It's not much, but it's enough to last us for a while." I went back over to the bar counter grabbing the rest as Virus sat down on the couch.

"I didn't know you can cook, Aoba-san."

"Looks good."

"Well…" I began sitting down on the couch and picking up a slice of toast. "I'm not really good as Granny, but I like to think that my cooking is average or decent in some cases."

We continue to eat and chat about random things and with me getting tick off by Trip commenting on my food which in result led him to have my fist in his gut. By the time we finished Virus and Trip went to clean the dishes, stating that since I made it they should clean it up.

Now that everything is put away and we now have a full stomach the three of us were sitting back down on the couch.

"So were you guys able to find anything last night?" I asked them.

"We were unable to gather any information about the tower." Virus said "However, we had run into someone who does."

Someone who knows about the Oval Tower?

"Who?"

"Another yakuza." Trip said.

"!?"

"Yes, while patrolling we came across another yakuza member. We asked him if he knew any info. He agreed to tell us what he knew, and the best way to get in the tower with no problems." Virus continues to inform me.

"He does?" Though that intel is amazing to hear…but how does a yakuza know about this? Is the security there not that good than I had originally thought.

"Yeah, yeah. Though he couldn't tell us there saying the walls have ears."

"…Huh?" I looked at Trip with a dumbfounded look. What the hell is he talking about?

"There's a place where we are meeting him at." Virus said, standing up "Well, let's go."

"Huh, ah, okay…" I got up from my seat along with Trip. Before I head out of the building with them I grab my bag with Ren in it and quickly headed out to meet up with them. We left the Main Street and walk down a somewhat secluded road. There are fewer people and more sketchy signs for shops, bars, and classy clubs as we go along. So even Platinum Jail has these kinds of places…

I followed the two as if they had always known the street and soon we came to an intimidating rectangular building. I don't know what it's for as there's no sign in front of it. I walk up to Virus and Trip's side as they continue to head towards the building.

"Excuse me, do you have proof of membership on you?" A man in a black suit stands at the door, barring us from entering with his hand.

Membership? Of course we don't have…

"Here you go."

"Here."

"…"

I was shock when I saw the two pull out a black card. When did they…?

The suited man takes it and gives it a thorough check."Confirmed. Please hold up your Coil to the monitor over there." He points to the confirmation monitor by the door. The three of us show our Coils in turn. "…Thank you very much. Your IDs have been confirmed. Please come inside." The bouncer gracefully opens the door.

The two walked in the building, with a calm and composed look, while I, on the other hand pass through the entrance looking nervous.

Just what is this place anyway?

* * *

Looks like this place is a club.

When we enter through the door, it all turns fast paced, with the guests waving their hands everywhere, talking, drinking. There's a single door within the room. The low bass vibrates the place, so it must be the dance floor.

Why did we come here of all places…?

"Why do you guys have that card? When did you even get them?" I asked the two.

"The man we are meeting up with gave them to us so we can get in." Virus said.

"I see…so we are to meet him here."

"That's right."

"Yeah."

Before I can say anything else I saw some people leaving the dance room looking a bit weird. "What's up with them."

"Everyone here is high on the lights." Trip said.

"High on the lights… I've heard that before." I murmur. I'm pretty sure it's a new drug that I heard rumors about in the Old Resident I never was interested in it, but someone said that they enter some sort of dream-like state when they get high.

"It's different from the drugs that work from inside the body. It uses light to make you half-conscious. So you feel a sensation of being in a dream-like state. Since the only difference is that this drug makes you fall asleep, you're safe from any side effects. However, it requires large scale devices to make, so it hasn't spread much." Virus explained.

"Huh…"

"Yeah and it's behind this door. Are you scared Aoba?" Trip grinned.

"Huh? No way." I said, giving him an annoyed look.

"I see."

For whatever reason, the two had smiles on their faces and they walk towards the door to the dancefloor.

As I still glare at them, the two stop right before the door. A different bouncer is standing by the door, and Virus whispers something into his ear. The bouncer nods and holds out his right hand.

It was difficult to make out, but there was another door in the same direction. Virus and Trip walks over to the door. I follow right after.

"…Whoa." The moment I walk onto the dance floor I begin to feel dizzy. The heavy vibrations from the music and low bass, the electronic sound piercing my eardrums… it all feels so awful. The lights flash in an unsteady pattern so I can't keep my eyes focused. All in all it was an awful place to be.

Is this 'getting high on lights'?

The floor is filled with people dancing. I bet they've been here for a long time…

"Aoba, are you okay?" Ren asked.

"…For now."

The music blasting throughout the room makes it a bit hard to hear Ren. While taking glances at the floor, we walked up to the second floor by a staircase near the door. On the second floor are chairs and tables, placed so one can look down on the dance floor.

A man by the railing guides us to our seats.

The two had plop down on the sofa making themselves comfortable. I was about to sit down with them, but my feet had stagger.

What?

Is it because of these lights and sounds…I'm feeling a bit sick.

"Are you alright, Aoba-san?"

"Could it be that you're high already?"

"…!" I balance myself with my hands on the back of the sofa and shut my eyes, so I don't see the floor below me. But still, the lights flash through my closed eyelids. The sounds go through my ears either way… And the sickness in my stomach grows while a headache starts up.

…Shit. I really am high.

I take out my meds from my bag and swallow just a few of them. When I raise my head, I meet their eyes. The calm look that they both have on their faces send shivers down my spine.

Those expression pierces me like needles.

Deeper and deeper.

It reaches all the way into the depths of my heart, and sinks in… deeper.

 _BA-DUMP_

I quickly avert my I can still feel them looking at me.

Still looking at me.

Still…

Still…

 _BA-DUMP_

 **\- Destroy -**

…Who?

"…Ughhhhaahh!"

"…Hey."

"…Aoba-san."

 _BA-DUMP_

Watching me.

 _BA-DUMP_

Someone's been watching me.

This whole time…!

"Ahhhhhhh!" I want to escape from their gaze: I bolt down the stairs from the private room.

"! Aoba-san! Trip."

"Got it."

* * *

What's going on? This bizarre music and 're both so intense…The floor is covered in violet smoke, and soon it's hard to tell which is the floor and which is the ceiling.

"Aoba, are you okay?" I hear Ren calling out to me.

 _BA-DUMP_

"…I think I'm in trouble…"

 _BA-DUMP_

"You should go back and rest."

My vision goes blurry, and I can't stand myself up…I think of leaving the floor and start walking. But soon it feels like I'm walking on tofu, rather than a hard floor. Somehow I keep myself going.

…At least I tried to, and my vision went dark.

Huh?

 _THUMP_

"Aoba!"

"Huh…" I somewhat regain my senses, and just see a bunch of shoes squirming this way.

"Heeey, are you okay?" A female voice asked.

"You're really in the way if you lay down there!" A male voice laughed.

"She looks sooo dumb! Ahahahaha!"

All I hear is the sound of slurring voices chattering away above me. They ignore my existence and walk over and on me like it's nothing.

"Owowow… Shit." I try to get myself up, but I have no strength left in my arms. I can at least get my stomach and throat off the floor, but I feel awful. My headache is killing me.

"Aoba, don't push yourself. Your nerves are temporarily impaired."

"I know that already…" I groaned.

"Hey, I said you were in the way. Hurry up or I'll kick your ass out."

"Ahahaha, go aheaad! Do iiit. Looks like she can't even move anyway."

"Hey, miiiiiiss. Are you alive?"

Someone grabs my arm and pulls me up.

I have to get away…But my… head hurts so much. It's throbbing so hard that I can't even think.

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

"Aoba!"

I could barely hear Ren calling out to me as my headaches keep getting worse.

 **\- Destroy -**

 **\- Destroy -**

 **\- I'll destroy them -**

Destroy? Destroy who?

 **\- Destroy them -**

 **\- It's because of them -**

"Ugh…"

"Hey, Aoba."

The pain is still lingering and I hear a voice I know all too well.

"…Tr…ip?"

"Are you okay, Aoba?"He lifts me up and I can see a blurry outline of Trip's face.

"Tri… Ergh…" I try to call out his name again, but I feel something swell up in my throat. I try to hold it back, and put a hand to my mouth again.

But…

"Ugh!"

"Eugh! Hey!"

"She just threw up!"

Oh shit…I've really done it only did I throw up all my food, but my dignity as well. I hear scream and angry yells. I feel so embarrassed I could die…

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

"Ahh…"

"Aoba, are you all right?"

Ren's and Trip's voices slips into my ears along with the sound of the pounding music. As if it's coming closer, the music turns into a single rhythm. The high pitched electronic sounds sound like the shriek of a drill drilling into my head. The bass and my heartbeat pile up, crushing my heart to bits.

"…" I wipe my mouth and try to look up at Trip. But my vision was so blurry that I couldn't see straight.

"…S…orr…y…"

That was the only thing I manage to get out before I had completely passed out.

 _BA-DUMP_

 **\- Let me destroy them -**

 _BA-DUMP_

 _BA-DUMP_

 **\- Aoba… -**

 **\- …Remember… -**

* * *

"My apologizes for being late."

"It's fine."

"Hmm, where's….your 'friend'."

"Trip? I had to send him off. Aoba-san was acting strange and took off running."

"…You should just hand her over to Toue like you were order to."

"…We will, is it wrong to spend more time with Aoba-san? After all Toue has Sei-san so isn't it right if we have Aoba?"


	31. Chapter 30

**Hey guys! I'm back to bring you a new chapter; also future chapters should be coming in quicker now that I'm settle in for my classes and today is the last day for one of my class actually. So I only have one class to do.**

 **Also I apologizes if the beginning part isn't that good, I tried to make it decent. I was actually stuck on that part for a while trying to figure out how I should start this. So I did manage to figure something out!**

 **Anyways I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and please leave a review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 30**

This sound….

It's the sound of waves crashing on the shore. The sounds echo through my ears, but why am I hearing this? Wasn't I at some club with Virus and Trip…we were going to meet someone. What happened?

…

"Ahh. The ocean is big and wide and amazing after all. Hey, do you like the ocean?"

Huh?

This voice…why does it sound so familiar to me?

"The ocean is nice, right. You can feel its endless possibilities. You can look at it forever. But if you really looked at it forever, you would gradually stop being so moved by it."

I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was an ocean view of the sun starting to rise from the distance. The salty breeze would ruffle my hair, and the roar of the waves reached my ears. And the deep blue sea spread as far as the eye could reach, and the waves sparkled endlessly…This place….I remember this place, this is where I met my father.

"That's why I cherish the moment when I think it's amazing. And I leave on a trip to find that feeling again. When I do that, I can find things that excite me every day. From things this big, to incredibly small."

"-!" I turn my head back to the sound and my eyes widen in surprise. There right in front of me is a tall red hair man talking to someone. Looking closer the person he was talking to…was me. But…I'm smaller. This was me as a child meeting my father for the first time.

Why am I seeing this?

"… _father_ …"

…Huh? Just now, that… I slowly turn my head to the side upon hearing that voice. When my eyes landed on the person standing next to me…I was in complete shock. That's…

She slowly turns her head towards me her blue hair flowing through the wind her brown eyes meeting mine.

…Me.

"-!?" When I look over to the other me, her expression had a somewhat helpless face on. She looks sad, as if she was looking for something, something that was out of her reach, yet it was within her reach at the same time. But what…?

Her lips began to move as she speaks.

"…"

"…"

What?

What is she saying?

I open my mouth to say something but a massive headache shot through my head. I instantly grabbed my head in pain my vision was going blurry.

"...Okay, I've decided. I'll give you the chance for a new life. From now on your name is Aoba."

…Aoba.

….Please….

…..-…-…

* * *

"…" Blinking slowly, I stare up at the ceiling. Hang on…where am I? When I shot up from the bed an instant wave of sickness hits me. "…" I covered my mouth with my hand and closed my eyes tight waiting for it to pass. When it did I slowly open my eyes again and looked around.

I'm…back in my room in GLITTER.

Why am I here?

When that thought cross my mind, images began to flood through my head. Memories of following Virus and Trip to club. The instances feeling of the music and the lights flowing in my body. My panic attack that I had and my headaches. And….

"…Oh man…" I moaned covering my face with my hands feeling ashamed of myself and the embarrassment.

…Throwing up on Trip.

"How am I even going to apologize…" I let out a low sigh as I move to get off the bed and active Ren.

"Good morning, Aoba."

"Morning… Hm?" My jacket is on the bed.

I pick it up: it has a fragrant smell of softener to it. Did one of them wash it? I put my jacket back on and was about to get ready to leave but for some reason I felt like I was forgetting something. "…" I look down at Ren, who silently looked back up at me.

 _"…"_

 _While in the middle of shopping I heard a weird panting sound coming from Ren._

 _"Ren? Are you all right?"'_

 _"…" Ren silently stares at me "…I feel a little off, but there doesn't seem to be any significant problem."_

 _I narrowed my eyes a bit at that comment, "We should make sure later, just in case. I'll examine you when we get back."_

 _"Understood."_

…

….How did I forget something as important as that?

"Ren, do you still feel strange?" I asked him picking him up.

"Yes, a little though." He said.

"Hmm, okay I'll examine you now." I place him on my lap and open the control panel on my Coil. With this, I can check for any sorts of abnormalities. "Let's see." I mutter. I look for any indications from the numerical data on the control panel screen.

…Hm.

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong based on these numbers.

"There doesn't seem to be any issues, but do you still feel weird?"

"Yes. I can't exactly explain it, but I feel uneasy."

I narrowed my eyes looking back at the control panel "I wonder where it's coming from. I guess it's inside…" Ren's breathing is normal compared to before. But I can't let him go just yet.

"Hmmm…" I push through his fluffy fur, searching all over his body. Ren shakes a little like it's ticklish. "Nothing wrong on the outside. Shit, I need to be more careful."

"…Aoba."

"Hm?"

"Please stop that."

"What is it? Is something wrong?" I stop touching Ren and look at him. He licks his nose as if he wants to tell me something.

"No, it's…"

I tilt my head to the side confused "What's wrong? Why don't you just tell me?"

"I don't understand it too well, but… I have this unexplainable, peculiar feeling." Ren said making me frown a bit.

"I see…" I murmur "I guess I won't be able to understand unless I go all the way and open you up. Does it feel like it'll be difficult to get by from day to day?"

"Not exactly."

"Then I guess we'll wait and see… If it ever feels like you can't take it anymore, you better say so right away."

"Understood."

I close the control panel, pick up Ren, and look into his eyes. His moist, black eyes look back to me. "…I'm sorry." I murmur.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked.

"No, well. You're my important partner. I wasn't paying enough attention… And it was my responsibility to."

"It's not really your fault."

"I'm awful. Lately, I… Somehow I've come to dislike myself because of all this." I said.

"…"

"Just kidding." I smiled. My mood sinking, I take Ren and place him to my forehead. …And something pushes on my cheek. It's Ren's paw. Rejecting me, Ren places both of his tiny paws on my forehead and gently pushes me away.

"What is it?"

"No…"

Ren doesn't lower his paws.

What's wrong? He's never done anything like this before.

I move the oddly acting Ren away from my face, his eyes looking into mine. …Really, what's going on?

"Are you sure you're okay Ren? You're acting a bit strange." I worriedly asked him.

"I just feel a little out of it, that's all. I'm all right." Ren gives me a vague response, trying to dodge the question. This is the first time he's ever tried to avoid talking about anything. "I'm sorry if I'm worrying you. Please don't think about it too much."

"Even if you say that…" I let out a sigh "You're acting weird. I remember seeing a parts shop when I was shopping for food."

"You really don't need to worry that much."

"If you can't function any more after this, it'll be bad, won't it? We have to treat it like a disease. Okay?" I say that in a steadfast tone and ruffle Ren's fur. "Fluffly puppy!"

"Please don't play around."

"Haha, sorry, sorry!"

Even as I pretended to joke around, the shock still didn't fade. For Ren to push my forehead away like that… I honestly never saw it coming. But I guess it's because something must be really wrong with him…

Is it really okay…?

Unable to shake the uneasiness from my heart, I put Ren in my bag and got up from my bed and headed out. When I step out of the room and head down the hallway I notice that it's really quite in here.

"Where are Virus and Trip?" I asked out loud looking around.

"They headed back out not long after you've woken up." Ren said sticking his head out the bag.

"Seriously? Did they tell you where they were going or why?"

"No, they didn't say anything; they seem to be in a rush though."

"…" Why didn't they say anything before leaving? Just what are they up to? I heaved out a sigh and walked out of the entryway. I open the map attachment and headed back down towards the shopping mall. Passing by some shops I finally came across the shop I was looking for. In the display window are neatly groomed dog-type Allmates. I bet I'll find the parts here.

I guess I'll go inside.

I timidly open the door when I walk into the high-class type of shop.

"Amazing…"

The inside is wide and clean with not a single piece of trash on the floor. Allmates are lined up along the wall in glass cases, and quiet music is played throughout the store. Next to the Allmates are toys, accessories, and even clothes.

"Hey, Ren. Look at that." Ren sticks his head out of the bag. "Don't you think these Allmates are pretty and punctual compared to the ones back in the Old Resident District?"

"Surely. I can't deny that."

"Right?"

There are customers inside, all carefree, looking into cases with just nothing but pictures inside. As I look around the shop, I go to a section that has both custom parts and ones for maintenance. At just a glance, it doesn't seem like there are that many different parts here. It looks like there are only control panels and services for the new Allmate types, and I probably can't request anything.

"Hmm. None of this will work." I think of asking an employee, but it's difficult enough to call out to another customer for me. I look around the store interior thinking of what to do, and a digital poster catches my eye.

'Platinum Jail Special Commemoration Event: Opening Soon!'

The date for it scrolled down in a large font. It's another two days until it opens. There aren't any specifics on the poster.

Platinum Jail Special Commemoration Event…

I wonder what's going on there. I'm a little interested, so I go and ask the customer next to me. Maybe I can get more info and tell the guys.

"Uh, excuse me."

"Yes?"

"About that Platinum Jail Special Commemoration Event. Do you know what's going on there?"

"They haven't said yet. But it looks like that day's going to be a fun one. It's bound to be an absolutely fabulous event, you know? The usual parades are really like a dream!"

"Huh…"

"I wonder if Toue-san is going to show up? If he does, it'll be absolutely fantastic! He can do anything and everything flawlessly. He's soooo amazing!"

"…I see. Thank you."

I slightly bow my head and leave. So not even the guests know what's going on at that event. But they did say that Toue may be there. Even if he does show up, there's no way I could even get close to him. At the moment, I have no way of coming into contact with Toue.

Anything is fine. If I just find a clue, then I…

"Ren, let's check out that special event tomorrow." I talk to Ren. But he doesn't reply. "Ren?"

When I look into my bag, I see Ren staring at an Allmate sitting in a glass case.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

All of the Allmate's specifications are on a monitor seemingly very impressive. "Wow… That's something." I utter amazed.

In the first place, I never had a deep interest in Allmates. But when I saw the latest model, I couldn't help but be astounded. My custom made Allmates aren't even a match for this latest model on its default settings. Made for diverse tasks, like basic ones and Rhyme of course. Things like analog maintenance aren't necessary for this one.

"Hah… They've gone far."

"Are you interested in it?" Ren asked.

"Aren't you the one interested? You've been staring at it."

"…"

"Well, it is pretty impressive. It looks really useful for anything I could ever think of doing." I said.

"…Do you want to try using it?"

"Eh?" Ren's odd question causes me to lance at him as his eyes continue to focus on the case. "I wasn't thinking about that at all. I have you."

"Isn't that only because you've never had the experience of a more efficient, newer model?"

"What're you talking about?"

"…"

Ren's saying weird things again.

I frown, trying to understand what he's getting at, and Ren squirms out of my bag and dashes away.

"Hey!"

Not listening to anything I say, Ren keeps running until he exits the shop. What is he doing!?

"Ren!" I chase after Ren out of the store, garnering the attention of the employees and customers around. I run after the bundle of blue down a side street.

"Ren…!"

I follow him into the side street, panicked. I don't see Ren anywhere. He's a quick one. But why did he go and…

Did I make him angry?

…No, that can't be it. It's possible for some Allmates to adopt human emotions, but this is against his set behavioral pattern. It's like how Beni has a short-tempered personality in him. Ren was set to a patient type. Even if his mood did swing a little bit, I've never seen an Allmate become so emotional. But it was clear that Ren was offended back there.

I turned every corner, my thoughts racing. "…!" The atmosphere is a little different in this alley. I don't know how I could explain it other than a sense of déjà vu. The area is dim and filled with trash. It's a lonely place, as if completely forgotten by the guests walking down Main Street. So Platinum Jail has area like this too…

The odd display left me staring, but then a sound came from a heap of trash. "Ren…!?" A puff of blue fur coming out of the dark… No, it's a person. "!" A person in this kind of place… No way… They aren't dead, are they?

…Maybe a doll? The person's limbs are so thin and white, so I don't know…

"Um… Are you okay?" When I speak out, the person slowly raises their head.

…What?

When our eyes met, it felt like a bolt of electricity surged through my head. What was that all about? They're looking at me.

…Are they, actually? Their gaze isn't focusing, just staring off into space. It's something… but I can't remember what. I feel like I've seen them somewhere before. Not when I look at their face... but more like their eyes.

It's a strange sensation. I wonder if we've passed by each other once. No, that can't be it. I don't think I've ever seen them or met them…

But something…

More like…

…

 _SNAP_

"-!" A current like thunder ran through me, and I jumped back a step. …What just happened? I dozed out for a second and… And I blurred out when that impulse hit, and…

…Huh?

…They're not here.

That person that was just here is now gone. Did they just disappear? There's no way. I only took my eyes off them for a second. I didn't think anyone could disappear that quickly…

"What just happened…?" While dumfounded, I hear the sounds of light footsteps… And a bundle of blue appears from inside an alley.

"Ren!" Ren runs up to me with as blank an expression as a dog can get, and sits down near me. "You… Where were you going!?"

"Nowhere… I didn't have anywhere in mind."

"Wha? What the hell? What're you talking about?"

"If I were to say it… I just felt like it."

"Felt like it?" I'm completely relieved that I found Ren, but that feeling soon turns into a complicated one. "What do you mean, you 'felt like it'? You've never felt like that before, but now you do all of a sudden? Are you sure you don't feel weird?"

"I definitely do still have that uncomfortable feelings…but it's not bad enough for you to worry about it." He said.

I shook my head "No, it is enough for me to worry about it. You really are acting weird. Are you aware of what weird things you've been saying?"

"Not in particular."

"Seriously… Shit, I really need to examine you… And I don't have the tools right now, either…"

"Even though you worry that much, it's not anything stopping me from performing basic actions."

"It sure is doing that well enough! …I'm really worried." I hold up Ren in my hands and look into his eyes. "I'm counting on you, so don't go off on your own. I'll definitely fix you. Be obedient so this doesn't get any worse, okay?"

"You really don't need to worry…"

"Ren."

"…I understand. I will be careful, I'm sorry."

"Mhm."

I almost put Ren to my forehead, but I stopped myself. I was too scared that he'd reject me again. I'm so irritated that I don't have the tools that I absolutely need to perform maintenance on Ren. Even though I want to do something right away… I first put Ren into my bag, and then look back to where that person was sitting before. That person… Who were they?

"Hey, Ren."

"What?"

"Did you see anyone sitting around here?"

"I don't remember seeing anyone."

"I see."

"Did something happen?"

"Hm, nah. It was probably my imagination." I try not to think about it too hard. And with Ren like this… I can't afford to think of anything else. I turn back and was about to head back to Glitter but a sudden loud voice startles me.

"Hey! What's with all the racket down here!?"

"Huh?"

I turn around to the voice and see some men dress in suits and having a couple of scars on them.

…Wait.

Oh no…

"Huh, well what do we have here? A little girl walking by herself in these dark alleys."

"…" I shot the man a sharp glare.

These must be the Platinum Jail Yakuza. Not good.


End file.
